Karmic Circle
by Miacis
Summary: END GAME SPOILERS He was keeping his promises, whether he wanted to or not. Thank you to Diluculo for betareading later chapters.
1. The Sixth Pup

_Disclaimer: Tales of the Abyss is copyright Namco Bandai.  
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Lord Teon had raised dogs all his life, but he had never seen one quite like the sixth and last pup in the litter of his prized red setter, Molly.

They were all beautiful puppies, to be sure- Molly came from a long line of fine hunting dogs, and Teon's manor was known through all of Kimlasca for the quality of its animals- but the sixth puppy was especially so. His fur was the brilliant red of fresh blood, and his eyes an emerald green, the likes of which Teon had never seen before.

But something wasn't quite right about him. He didn't play like the other puppies- he seemed quite content to sit by himself while his litter mates romped about the kennel, snarling and snapping should one of them invite him to join in their games. Indeed, he only interacted with them when he absolutely had to, such as when it was time to eat or at night when he claimed a sizable portion of the blanket for his own. At these times he was quite vicious and mean, biting to the point of drawing blood, and only Molly's intervention- a disciplinary nip of her own- would stay his aggression. He always listened to Molly, contenting himself to glare at his siblings instead. Eventually, however, the other puppies learned to avoid him, and he was left in peace.

Teon would have worried that this aberrant behavior was a sign of brain damage did the puppy not also seem to be incredibly smart. Almost from the moment he opened his eyes he seemed to become fascinated by the latch on the kennel door; as soon as he was big enough to reach it he had undone it and let himself out. His escape was foiled by his siblings, who also escaped through the opened door and were running all about the manor's grounds. At first Teon thought that the unhinged latch was due to the carelessness of the kennel boy, who was duly disciplined; only later did he realize the truth, when he just happened to catch the pup in the act of opening the door- being careful this time to close it again behind him. When this second attempt failed and the latch was reinforced, the pup seemed to give up his plans for escape- until Teon found the halfway dug tunnel hidden by a strategic placement of the kennel blankets.

The sixth pup, for his part, was also unsure what to make of himself. From the moment he could perceive almost everything had had the strangest tinge of familiarity, even though he was new to the world and had never left the kennel beyond the unsuccessful escape. He found that the utterances of the large bipeds- the_ humans_- had meaning. They formed _words_, and_ sentences_, and usually concerned things outside the kennel he couldn't possibly understand- harvests and bandit raids and the stablemaster's secret affair with one of the maids that everyone seemed to know about. But he did understand them, down to every illicit detail of the stablemaster's capers. During his first escape, he discovered that he could even read the signs he came across before being recaptured.

In part because of this, he found kennel life to be boring and rather insulting. His litter mates might be content to play, eat and sleep within its confines, but he knew that there was much more to the world than a small cage with a flimsy latch. All of his escape attempts were thwarted; the latch was now reinforced and the flooring replaced to be impenetrable he ceased his attempts.

But then there were the dreams. The pup had never gone a night without being haunted by strange images and emotions- happiness, love, fear sorrow, anger, and hate, so powerful that many nights he'd wake up with a cry. At first the images were vague and inscrutable, but as he grew they continued and gained more focus, and he began to make out people- two with hair as red as he supposed his fur must be (dogs can't distinguish the color red, but his dream eye could; it was yet more supposedly unknowable knowledge he possessed.) Then there was a girl, with auburn hair down to her shoulders; he got a strangely warm feeling every time he saw her. Yet there was a sadness surrounding the dreams of these three, a regretfulness and a sense of loss. Sometimes there was a large man, with gray brown hair and a goatee- the pup's feelings of admiration, respect, and anger were as vivid as they were varied when he thought of him. There was also third red-head, a male youth, who appeared a little after the others, and his feelings toward him were stronger than any other. He_ hated _him on sight. There was something about his appearance that was simply infuriating, as though his very existence was a mockery and an insult. As the dreams became clearer, he began to interact with the dream people, as though he too were a human, and as if these dreams were memories...

It was not until several months later, however, that the pup had a revelation. He had a new dream, more distinct than any other, and he was fighting the red-headed youth with a beautiful but somehow incomplete sword. He fought fiercely, but lost. He threw the sword to the other, and they began to talk. For the first time, he began to clearly hear words. He was urging the other onward and staying behind to fight a rush of oncoming soldiers.

"Promise me you'll survive! If you don't, Natalia and I will... never stop grieving!" the red-head shouted to him as he left.

"Shut up! Fine, I promise! Now go!" he replied in an eerily similar voice. "Humph... no time left... I'm going to disappear soon..." He turned to face the soldiers.

"Out of the way!" one shouted.

"No. Your fight is with me, Asch-"

_-no, Luke fon Fabre!_ the pup awoke with yelp of shock. It came back to him all at once, as clearly as if it had just happened- he was dreaming he was a human because he _had _been human, born Luke fon Fabre to a noble family in Batical. He was a perfect isofon of Lorelei, the Seventh fonon. He'd been kidnapped at the age of ten and replaced by a replica of himself, joining the Oracle Knights and taking the name and title of Asch the Bloody. The people in his dreams were his parents, the treacherous Van, his beloved Natalia and his own replica, who had taken the name of Luke in his stead. Despite his hatred for his replica, he had helped him in saving the world, for the sake of his Kimlasca, his Natalia... he had died for them... A slight shiver ran through him as his memories reached this conclusion.

And now he was here, a half-grown puppy in a Kimlascan lord's kennel. Asch had no idea what had happened to put him in this position, but he did know one thing: he definitely couldn't stay here knowing the truth. He stood up and walked to the door, examining the new latch. The old one had only required him to lift it with his nose; this one had to be twisted in a certain fashion. Carefully, he rose up and tried to manipulate it with his forepaws, but try as he might they weren't dexterous enough to to fully open it. Eventually, he grabbed it with his teeth to finish turning it, blanching at the metallic taste. Silently he stepped out of the kennel and into the night. He looked back at Molly, who was awake and staring at him perplexedly. All of the other puppies had been sold; prospective buyers had complimented Asch's beauty but been put off by his antisocial nature. Feeling strange, he walked back and touched his nose in farewell. Then he exited again, this time for good, closing the door as best he could behind him.

He stealthily made his way across the manor. His night vision was much better than that of the human guards, and he had little trouble slipping through the hedges and under the wall via an abandoned burrow.

Once outside of the manor grounds, Asch paused, considering his next move. He had no place in particular to go- one direction was as good as any other. Making his choice, he padded silently into the night.


	2. Black Dream

Asch looked down upon the encampment with mixed feelings of distaste and longing. He'd avoided humans as much as possible since his escape from the kennel; he felt uncomfortable around them in his current condition. But wilderness survival was no longer what it was when he'd been human- he didn't have hands to wield a sword, and his canine instincts were somewhat lacking, many centuries removed from from their wild predecessors. He didn't like paying attention to them, anyway- they only served to remind him of what he was now.

But one thing he couldn't ignore was his hunger. For the past month or so he'd been living mainly on berries, nuts, vermin and even insects- anything he could find. Once he'd gotten lucky and come upon a dead hatchetbeak, managing to eat his fill before severals ligers arrived and chased him off. An attempt upon a griffin's nest had very nearly ended in disaster- he finally realized that day (quite painfully) that most monsters considered him a desirable meal more than he felt the same about them. He was getting enough to survive, but just barely; the prospect of eating real food was now overwhelming his desire to skirt the camp altogether.

Asch descended the rise warily, keeping an eye on the activity in the camp. It was almost dusk, but people seemed to be busy breaking down some of the tents and other structures and loading them into the wagons, which had the words "Black Dream" painted along their sides. They were probably leaving early the next morning, and packing away whatever they could tonight to save time tomorrow. What they were doing and where they were going Asch didn't know and didn't much care; his real interest was in finding where their supplies were kept. The smell of roasted meats were what had led him here earlier that day, and now that he was so close it was all he could do to keep from drooling. He'd never realized he could miss cooked meals that much.

But he had to keep a clear head if he was going to make this work. The plan was simple enough: find which tent or wagon that contained the food (preferably the meats) and lay low until dark. The impression he got from the caravan was a relaxed one; he doubted that he'd have to worry about a heavy nightwatch, and in any case he had superior night vision. The supplies were probably stored in such a way as to prevent witless beasts from breaking in to them, but, of course, Asch wasn't the witless kind. He snorted quietly as he contemplated his scheme. He hated being reduced to petty thievery, but he was half starved, and this group of travelers looked as though they could spare a purloined steak or two. Maybe three.

Carefully circling the perimeter of the camp from the cover of the trees, Asch literally followed his nose to a wagon at the far end of the clearing,where the mixed scents of meats, fruits and vegetables was strongest. The fire pit was nearer the center of the camp, a spitted boar giving off the aroma that had drawn him here, but he knew he'd have no chance at it- it was clearly intended as supper, and people were already gathering around for the evening meal. With nothing to do but wait, Asch settled down and watched them eat, feeling thoroughly tortured by the sight.

Darkness couldn't come fast enough for the former god-general. As soon as the last lantern was extinguished and the nightwatchman was the only human visible, Asch sprang into action. He kept to the shadows, taking extra care to move soundlessly, so as not to attract the watch's attention. Fortunately, the man's back was to him, and he slipped quietly to the back of the food wagon. Appraising the distance carefully, he heaved himself over the tailgate, wincing at the scratching sound his claws made on the wood. He froze, alert for the sound of approaching footsteps, but after a few moments he felt confident that he hadn't been heard and busied himself with the task of selecting and opening the most promising container. A barrel to his left smelled pungently of salted pork- not exactly the steak he was expecting, but at this point he didn't care. He began to remove the lid, careful not to make a sound. He found that his dewclaws could almost be used as thumbs, giving him a little more dexterity. When it was loose enough he grabbed it with his teeth and set it aside, then leaned over the barrel to claim his prize.

"And what do we have here?" the voice broke the silence so abruptly that Asch yelped and jumped, spinning to face the lantern that was now casting light into the wagon. He snarled and bared his teeth at the face just beyond it, prepared to fight his way out if need be. Then he realized that he recognized this face.

_Urushi?_ he thought, incredulous, as the man gave a shout of surprise at his show of aggression. Lights came on in some of the nearby tents, alerted by Urushi's shout. Asch knew that his plan had failed and he needed to run, but Urushi was blocking the exit and he was loathe to attack his former employee. People were now coming out of the tents to see what was going on.

"What happened?" asked a female voice, whom Asch recognized as Noir. Sure enough, her face appeared alongside Urushi's, and he could see York among the others who had been roused. But what were the Dark Wings doing here?

"It's a dog," said Noir, sounding thoroughly unimpressed. Asch was no longer snarling, but sitting on his haunches and regarding the bandits intently. "Chase it off and be done with it. I can't believe you woke everyone up over _that_."

"He's probably just hungry. Look, he's skin and bones," observed York.

"He got the lid off of that barrel without a sound. That's a neat trick," said Urushi, inspecting the wagon's interior. "I didn't hear a sound."

"Then what were you doing in the food wagon to begin with?" Noir snapped irritably. A few people snickered as Urushi struggled for an explanation.

"Looks like the mutt wasn't the only one out for a midnight snack," York smirked.

"That ain't no mutt," Urushi replied, hoping to change the subject. "That's one of them fancy hunting dogs the nobles keep. I wonder what he's doin' all the way out here?"

"Nobles, you say? He might fetch a nice price in the city if we take him with us," said York.

_Always thinking about the money. Some things never change, _thought Asch.

"We could also teach him some tricks or something. We could use an animal act," said Urushi.

"Whatever," sighed Noir. "I'm going back to bed, and I suggest all of you do the same. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, between traveling and preparing for the big show." It was then that Asch realized what the encampment was- it must be a traveling circus of some sort, practicing its acts before continuing on to the next destination. He remembered that the Dark Wings had been performers before the war had caused them to turn to a life of crime. Apparently, the world had settled down enough for them to return to a legitimate profession.

The small crowd was dispersing, leaving only Urushi and York to deal with their unexpected guest. York came forward slowly, so as not to startle the wary setter.

"Hey now, you don't want any of that salted stuff- I'll get some of the really nice cuts. You need to be in top shape if we want to get top gald for you."

"Of if you wanna make a good show dog," Urushi added, defending his own idea. Asch bristled as they advanced on him, then reconsidered. He had absolutely no intention of becoming a cash cow or a sideshow, but traveling with the Dark Wings might not be a bad thing. York had said something about going to the city, and much as Asch didn't want to be around people, life in the wild wasn't working and he had no idea which direction civilization lay in or even how much time had passed since he had been gone. He could use this opportunity to orient himself and plan his next move.

Plus, they said they'd feed him. It was amazing how important that was now that he was a dog.

For the moment, then, he would cooperate with the Dark Wings. In any case, he had to admit that he was a bit curious as to what had occurred in his absence. A world in which the Dark Wings were on the right side of the law might be a world worth knowing!


	3. An Unexpected Homecoming

It took two days to reach their destination, which was about two days too long for Asch while in the company of the Dark Wings. He didn't hold any particular dislike for them- when they'd been working for him, Noir, York and Urushi had been about as loyal as one could expect such people to be, perhaps even a little more so. And they were taking good care of him, feeding him well, if only to ensure they got the most they could out of him. He even got a much needed bath at the end of the first day, although the endeavor almost ended with a few lost fingers. Angered and humiliated by such treatment, he'd run off and spent the night outside of camp; it had taken all of his willpower to rejoin them the next morning, telling himself that he only had to endure until they reached wherever they were going.

But sweet Yulia, Urushi was crazy if he thought he'd ever get him to do some of the "tricks" he was coming up with! Asch was stuck riding in the back of one of the wagons with him, while York drove and Noir sat up front with him (Noir ignored him almost entirely; a rather pleasant contrast to how she had acted toward him when he'd been human.) To pass the time while they traveled, Urushi had tried (unsuccessfully) to get Asch to jump through a hoop. That was bad enough until York popped his head in during a lunch break to say that that trick was boring and wouldn't it be so much better if the hoop was on fire? Fortunately, Noir absolutely forbade any open flame within the wagon.

With all of this going on, Asch still wasn't able to learn where they were actually going until they were almost there. He was sitting across the wagon from Urushi, trading baleful glares after the latest training session. All that could be heard was the creaking of the wagon wheels and the clanking of the various equipment they sat among. Asch could finally hear on Noir and York speaking quietly up front.

"We should reach the site before sundown. We'll need to prepare the parade wagons tonight if we want to keep schedule tomorrow.," York said.

"We won't use all of the wagons," Noir replied. "The opening parade feels wasted as it is when we can only march along the low income bottom level." She sighed. "This is why I hate playing Baticul."

Asch jerked his head in surprise. _Baticul?_ _Why does it have to be Baticul?_ Of all the cities in Auldrant, his birthplace was the one he wanted to go to least. There were too many memories, and he couldn't face the people he knew there in his current condition. Then he remembered that he wouldn't have to- even if he did run into one of them, they'd only see a red setter, not Asch the Bloody. In any case, so long as he stayed on the lower levels he shouldn't encounter any of the nobility he'd once been part of, and he'd stay just long enough to get his bearings and plan his next move.

He frowned mentally. He was liking this less and less.

It easy to sneak aboard one of the festive parade wagons that rode into Baticul the next morning, as everyone was too busy to keep track of him. If the performers were disappointed with Baticul's layout, they didn't show it- clowns and jugglers and tumblers and musicians merrily made their way through the streets of lower Baticul, drawing up interest for the show and generally making a lot of noise. Asch jumped down from his wagon at the first opportunity and quickly lost himself amid the crowd.

Baticul was a surprisingly difficult place to navigate for someone standing only a few feet off the ground and surrounded by the legs of so many spectators. Asch was constantly being bumped into as people pushed forward to get a better view. A burst of angry barking made him draw back with a snarl as a great mastiff with cropped ears suddenly lunged at him from the side. Before either dog could do anything more, though, the mastiff was savagely yanked away by its cursing owner, d isapparing amid the spectators. As he moved away from the main street, the people began to thin and he had an easier time moving about. That's when he heard something that made him freeze in shock.

"We're so honored and delighted that you came in person, Your Highness," said an unfamiliar voice. "The younger students have been looking forward to this for some time."

"The pleasure is all mine," replied an almost painfully familiar voice. "I established this institution because I made a promise that I'd do everything in my power to ensure that replicas receive the same opportunities as everyone else. That includes the same opportunities to have fun."

Asch looked around until he spotted the speakers. Two young women were standing in front of a large building he didn't remember being there the last time he was here. One of the women he similarly didn't recognize. The other, however, he could never have forgotten or mistaken for anyone else. Almost unconsciously, he crept toward them for a better look.

Natalia was wearing her plain traveling clothes so as to not draw as much attention, although Asch counted at least four soldiers posted nearby in case of trouble. It was unorthodox and quite foolish for a princess to walk so freely among her subjects, but Natalia wanted to understand their lives as much as she possibly could. It was a fault and a quality Asch loved. Natalia... seeing her again caused so many feelings of longing and regret to well up suddenly inside him. Without realizing it, he walked to the corner of the institute, watching her, and then something truly strange happened: she looked over at him, and their eyes met. They held each others' gaze for a moment, and Asch suddenly became uncomfortable- irrationally, he felt as though she must recognize him somehow, and that he had to get away from her before they were both hurt again. He tore himself away and ducked quickly into the narrow alleyway. And directly into more trouble.

Standing across from each other was a a rough looking man and a young girl of about ten or eleven. Asch could immediately tell that something was wrong. He could literally _smell _the fear emanating from the girl, although she was trying hard not to let the tears welling up in her eyes fall.

"If you don't have any gald, I'll just have to take something else," the man said, grinning unpleasantly. "I have to collect the toll for the shortcut. You wouldn't want me to starve, now, would you, girl?" He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her toward him. "Hey, this bracelet looks nice..." The girl gasped and looked around desperately for help, but no passersby noticed the drama unfolding in the alleyway- except for Asch. She looked at him, pleading and terrified, begging him with her eyes to do something, because even if he was just a dog he was her only hope.

Asch had a feeling this was going to be a big headache.

_Let go of her, you slime, _he snarled, jumping up and snapping at the hand that was holding the girl.Surprised, the man let go, just barely missing Asch's jaws. Now between the two, Asch continued to menace the man, snarling and snapping as he herded him out of the alley. This was so much easier than he'd thought it would be- the man was a coward. That's when his friends arrived.

"What are ya doin'? What's takin' so long?" a new and unpleasant voice called out. A second man had entered the alleyway, along with something large that barked and growled and tugged at its lead.

"This damned dog,"the first man answered, as Asch continued to advance on him.

The second man cursed. "I'll take care of that. Git'im, ya mangy fleabag!" And with that he let the mastiff- the same one from before- off of his chain. The larger dog plowed into Asch with incredible fury, almost knocking him off of his feet. Asch dodged the mastiff's jaws and lunged forward himself, and the alley echoed with their ferocious snarls. The mastiff was larger, but Asch was a smarter and more experienced fighter, even if it had all been in another life. They reared onto their hind legs, snapping and tearing at each others' throats and faces. Asch ducked out of the way as the mastiff tried to close his jaws on his neck, and yelped in sudden pain as his opponent caught his right foreleg instead an bit down hard. It gave Asch the opening he needed, however, and he bit down savagely on the other dog's muzzle, catching his sensitive nose and jerking him to the side, dragging the shocked mastiff to the ground. The larger dog had had enough; he was used to overpowering weaker opponents through sheer force, and hadn't expected such a spirited resistance. He broke away and took off down the other end of the alley, disappearing around the corner. Asch tried to pursue, but his injured foreleg gave as he put weight on it. Cursing and growling, he picked himself up and turned to deal with the two men, and came face to muzzle with a small group of spectators that now blocked the alley's entrance, attracted by the noise of the fight. Natalia was at its front.

"What is going on here?" she demanded. Whether the would-be thieves recognized the princess or not, they knew they were in trouble- they bolted in the same direction as the mastiff. "Arrest them!" she shouted, and two soldiers obediently gave chase. The woman from the from the replica school had run up to the girl, and was holding her comfortingly even as she scolded her.

"I don't know how many times I've told you kids not to cuts through the alleys..."

_Great,_ thought Asch, _she was a replica on top of it all_. He started to lick at his wounded leg, before realizing that that was a very doggy thing to do. He looked up again. Soldiers were moving the crowd along; some of the less scrupulous were passing money to one another, having not missed the chance to bet on a fight. Natalia hadn't moved; she was staring directly at Asch. Again their eyes met, and again Asch felt the urgent need to get away, but this time his injury prevented him from doing so with any haste or dignity. Instead he looked away, feeling almost ashamed. The girl was tearfully recounting her story.

"...and then the red dog came, and... and he got between us..."

Asch just stared down at his bloody foreleg. He wished that they would all just go away, especially Natalia, but still she stood there, eying him thoughtfully. He was about to turn and leave anyway, knowing what a pitiful sight he'd look limping away, when the princess knelt down, making slow, deliberate motions.

"Hey," she said softly, so as not to frighten the shy animal, "your leg is hurt. Would you like me to heal you?"

Asch looked into her face again. He was surprised that she was asking him such a question, as if she were giving him a choice, although surely she couldn't expect him to understand. He hesitated, torn between wanting to go to her and wanting to run. But he couldn't run with his leg like this. Resignedly, he limped toward her and sat down, his emerald eyes level with her forest green ones. He raised his injured leg and she gently took it in her hands. She closed her eyes in concentration, and Asch felt a sudden warmth in the affected limb as the flesh closed up under her hand. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"There," she said. "Doesn't that feel better?" Asch tested his weight on the leg; it was indeed as good as new. He was about to take his leave when three new figures broke from the main street and entered the alleyway.

"Well, well," Noir said with a smile as she sauntered up to them, York and Urushi in tow. "How pleasant to see you again, Your Highness. I see you've met the Black Dream's newest acquisition, our one and only champion canine star."

Asch would have rolled his eyes if he could. "Champion canine star," indeed! This day was just becoming more and more irritating.

"This dog belongs to you?" Natalia asked dubiously.

"But of course. You didn't think such a fine animal would just be wandering the streets, did you? He's much too valuable to be a stray. But, as it seems you've grown attached to him," and Noir got that sly look in her eye that invariably meant trouble, "we may be able to part with him. For the right price, of course."

"Oh? And what might that be?" Natalia regarded the older woman suspiciously.

"Hmm, let's see. He _is_ a beautiful and unusual looking animal, and the smartest we've ever had the pleasure of working with. 100,000 gald should cover things nicely."

"100,000 gald, you say? That's a rather steep price, even if he is such a wonderful animal," Natalia replied thoughtfully.

"But surely it's nothing to the Princess of Kimlasca? We are, after all, just humble traveling performers," Noir said smoothly.

"No, I suppose it's not. Speaking of which-" and here Asch noticed Natalia's eyes take on a slightly wicked gleam of their own- "I trust that your troupe has all of the proper permits and paid all appropriate fees in order to perform in Baticul? We do conduct spontaneous inspections from time to time."

Noir abruptly lost her smile as York and Urushi glanced at each other uncertainly. The female Dark Wing quickly regained her composure, although this time her smile looked a little forced.

"Upon further consideration, we of the Black Dream would like to present this fine animal as a gift to Her Royal Majesty, Princess Natalia Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, in token of our appreciation for her genial hospitality." The final two words were slightly emphasized.

Natalia smiled back at the Dark Wings. "I accept your generous gift. I hope you enjoy your time in Baticul. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm expected back at the castle. I look forward to seeing your performance. " She looked down at Asch. "Will you come with me?" she asked him, holding out her hand.

Asch looked back up at her. There she was, _asking _him again, as though he could understand that he had a choice. He was about to refuse, making a break for it right there- except, he realized, he still had nowhere else to go. Much as he didn't want to go back to Upper Baticul, it would be the quickest way to learn about the current world, and to see if there was even any place left in it for him anymore. His canine aspect would also afford him anonymity. Plus, it did seem a shame to ruin Natalia's clever handling of the Dark Wings (when had his princess become so shrewd?) He looked over at the performers. Going to Upper Baticul would also put him permanently out of the reach of Urushi and his Ring of Fire.

That sealed it.

With great dignity, he strode toward Natalia, and she smiled as he began to keep pace with her as she exited to the main street, two guards flanking them.

He did get the satisfaction of seeing Urushi's crestfallen face as they passed by the scowling Dark Wings.


	4. Asches to Asches

Asch trotted alongside Natalia as she led them toward the city perimeter and the elevators that led to the upper levels. He tensed as the lift bore them upward with a lurch. Natalia must have noticed his anxiety; her hand moved as if to pat him on the head, but he shrank away. 

"It's okay," she said reassuringly, "it's just an elevator. You're probably nervous because you've never been to Upper Baticul before."

Asch wondered what she would think if she realized that he was uneasy for quite the opposite reason.

"I normally don't stoop to trickery like I just did with the Dark Wings," she said conversationally, and it took Asch a moment to realize that she was still talking to him, "but I wasn't entirely certain that you actually belonged to them. You don't have a collar, and she didn't even have a name for you!" Natalia sighed. "In any case, the fact that they gave in so quickly indicates that they're scamming the city out of more than 100,000 gald. Still, this is the first time the Black Dream has played here since the war, and people have been looking forward to it for so long that I'll let it go this once." She grinned. "I think that now they'll know better than to try it again next time."

The elevator had reached its destination, and they stepped off. The lift started back down, and Asch was keenly aware that he was now stranded in the very place he'd never wanted to return to. He suddenly wished that he hadn't decided to go with the princess, but now there was little he could do other than follow her toward the castle. He carefully looked away from the fon Fabre manor as they passed its gates.

Natalia exchanged greetings with the guards on duty as they entered the palace, and Asch became the recipient of several curious glances as they proceeded through the halls, but as none of the staff had any business questioning the princess' affairs they were not stopped. Asch halted dead, however, when Natalia began to ascend the stairs to her personal chambers. She looked back when she realized that he wasn't following.

"It's okay. They're just stairs, they won't hurt you."

_But... but I can't be up there_! Asch may have been a dog, but he was still a gentleman.

Natalia frowned and started back down the steps, and Asch began to back away until he realized that the soldier who guarded the stairway was behind him, about to shoo him forward with his spear. Not wanting to be on the wrong end of _that_, Asch hastily took to the steps.

Although he guiltily felt that he was taking advantage of his unique situation, Asch also couldn't help feeling a bit of a thrill as Natalia open the door- he'd never actually seen this part of the castle before, although as a child he'd once devised a plan to gain access. His intentions had been innocent- he had only been a boy- but he was caught and severely punished. Such behavior was unbecoming a noble and future king, Duke fon Fabre had said.

He stepped in and got his first look at the room. The furniture wasn't very remarkable- there was a large canopy bed with a few small stuffed animals (one looked like that ugly doll that little Fon Master Guardian had used), an ornate dresser and matching wardrobe, a desk, a bookcase and a particularly comfortable looking chair. Natalia's bow hung upon the wall, as did two large paintings- one of King Ingobert and the other of the late queen (which seemed rather awkward, given that she wasn't Natalia's birth mother and had died without even knowing her, but just taking it down would have probably been even more awkward.) Two doors led to additional rooms- one was halfway open to reveal a private bath, the other was closed but probably an additional wardrobe or storage.

Natalia closed the door behind them and walked toward the wardrobe. "I'm sorry to have to leave you so suddenly, but I was serious when I told the Dark Wings I had business to attend to right now. I'll send someone up with food for you." Asch was too busy taking in his surroundings to mark that Natalia was laying clothes on the bed and what that meant- until she started to undress.

_What are you doing?! _he shouted, but all Natalia heard was a strangled yelp and a thump. She turned to see the setter stiffly facing the wall with his eyes shut tight. Asch was glad for his thick, long coat, because he was currently blushing a brighter red than his fur.

"Are... you all right?" she asked, but he didn't move until he heard the door shut and was sure that she had left. He opened his eyes and turned around, ignoring the lingering pain in his nose from where he'd hit it against the wall in his haste. He should have realized that something like this would happen- no one thought anything of changing in front of a dog, or of doing many other things besides. He'd have to be careful- his human sense of decency was one of the few things left to him, and he could not betray Natalia in such a way. Even if part of him had wanted to turn around.

He sighed, realizing that this odd charade would be harder than he'd thought it would be. He almost went out on his own right then, to be done with things as soon as possible, but until Natalia made his presence known to the rest of the castle a strange dog wandering around would receive too much unwanted attention. Instead, he made himself comfortable on the floor and waited, wondering what had possessed him to think that this was a good idea.

Sometimes Alpine just could not understand the Princess Natalia- such as her recent decision to take in that stray dog she had found on one of her ill advised visits to Lower Baticul. It was such a poorly mannered beast- no one but Natalia herself could even get near it without a growl or a snap, and even then it still reluctant to let her touch it. Of course, Alpine had_ tried _to make her see reason.

"If Her Royal Highness desires a pet, there are many breeds much more suitable for a princess," he'd said. "This is a hunting animal; it would be much more comfortable in a kennel. I happen to know of a Lord Teon-"

"Her Royal Highness does not desire a pet, she is quite happy with her current companion," Natalia had replied, a bit more snappily than she'd intended. She had never much liked her father's advisor- he wanted the best for Kimlasca, but he was far too rigid and unimaginative. Although he had rarely had any business with her, their interactions were more frequent as of late- a reminder of her growing responsibilities and the fact that she may one day be inheriting him."As for _his_ suitability to castle life, _he_ seems to be adapting very well." Indeed, even though it had only arrived a few days ago the dog was strutting around like it owned the place.

"Is it...he...housebroken?"

"Housebroken? He actually knows how to use the facilities!" Catching Alpine's incredulous expression, she added, "Well, he _was_ a circus dog."

Alpine was sorry he'd even asked.

Asch, meanwhile, hadn't found out anything of use to him. That his replica had defeated Van had been obvious from the start, given that everyone was still alive and original. With the amount of fonons steadily disappearing, much of the monarchy's time these days seemed to be spent planning ways to develop and implement alternate technologies. When it wasn't that, it was the continued integration of the replicas into society. The peace treaty between Kimlasca and Malkuth still held- Guy, or, rather, Count Gailardia Galan Gardios, was even staying at the castle on business of some sort, although Asch had seen little of him. All of this certainly helped him to better understand what had changed in his year and half long absence- that was about how long he had been dead- it hadn't brought him any closer to figuring out what he wanted to do with his new life. As far as he could tell, there was no purpose to him being anywhere.

He huffed to himself as he padded toward the main hall, virtually ignored other than an annoyed glance or two from the guards and servants. That was another thing- his old existence seemed to have been completely erased. He hadn't heard any mention of Asch, not even from Natalia. He didn't know why he should expect anything- he had been dead for over a year, after all, and he'd only been here a few days- but when he saw everyone going about their lives as though he'd never been, he couldn't help but feel bitter, as though his past had once again been taken from him.

He entered the hall, where Natalia was welcoming a small group of guests. They were from Daath; Asch had heard that they were coming and was interested in learning what the reformed Order of Lorelei was up to. As he approached them, he saw that this wasn't just any group of emissaries- they were former traveling companions. He recognized the annoying little girl, Anise, and Van's sister, Tear, if he recalled correctly. Guy was also standing with them. There was nobody else in the hall save the usual guards, and something about the way they held themselves told him that they were talking informally, as close friends and not as people of different social class.

"Anise," Natalia was saying, with what sounded like far too much patience for the brat, "the Kimlascan throne has already donated as much as it can, to the Order's reformation effort. We're currently devoting most of our resources to ongoing domestic affairs, such as new technologies and the replicas."

"Oh, don't worry," Anise said all too cheerily. "I'm not here to ask_ you _for money. Tear and I came together see a certain somebody." She suddenly got a sly look. "Although _she _has entirely different reasons..." Asch noticed that Tear blushed a little. "Besides, we both wanted to catch the circus while it was here. They haven't played Daath yet."

"Hey, who's this?" Guy asked, looking down at Asch as he approached them. This surprised the setter, as most people ignored him when he sat in on conversations. He sat on his haunches, looking up at everyone and a little unnerved as he became the center of attention.

"He was a gift from the Dark Win- the Black Dream," Natalia said. "Guy, please don't- he doesn't like being touched," she said, as Guy extended his hand and Asch began to bristle and growl.

"What's his name?" asked Tear.

"I haven't decided on one yet. Perhaps you could help me?" Asch glanced around at the thoughtful looks everyone now had as they thought of names. He hoped they'd get this over with and talk about the Order soon; truthfully, he didn't care what they chose to call him now.

Tear was the first to speak. "How about... Fluffy?"

Everyone just stared at her, especially Asch, who decided that he did care, after all. Tear looked away, embarrassed. "I thought it would be cute..."

They continued on for a few minutes more, without any luck. Guy suggested Red (too unimaginative) and Anise suggested Her Royal Majesty's Champion Guardian and Companion, First Canine of the State (a little too imaginative.) Tear, mercifully, kept all further opinions to herself, and Natalia seemed to want to suggest something but couldn't find the courage to say it.

Guy picked up on this. "What do you think? We're out of ideas, and he's your dog, so the decision is up to you." At first, Natalia said nothing, and Guy turned to look back at the group.

"Asch."

Asch started, hearing a name he'd never expected to hear again. Natalia quickly looked away as all eyes now fell on her.

"Asch?" asked Anise.

"I know, it's stupid," Natalia said, sounding for all the world like she wished she hadn't spoken. "It's silly, childish, and the real Asch would find it disrespectful. It's just that... there's something about him that reminds me of Asch. His eyes... I just get this feeling when I look into them, as if Asch is still with me, and I feel so happy then. I felt it the moment I first saw him."

For several moments, no one spoke. Asch was thoroughly shocked. She felt like he was still with her? It made her happy? She been thinking of him the entire time, after all! Was this why she had brought him here?

Guy finally broke the silence. "Emperor Peony often names his rappigs after people he likes- it's his way of showing affection and respect. I don't see a problem with calling him Asch- I'm sure the real Asch would be touched, deep down."

"Are you... sure?" Natalia still seemed uncertain.

Anise decided to put her two gald in. "Well, he does have that same sour look..." Asch promptly gave her his sourest look yet, but Natalia just smiled.

"Okay. Asch it is, then."

Later that day, Natalia approached Asch by herself. She held something in her hand.

"I've been meaning to give you this," she said. "I hope you don't find it too degrading, but father and I think it would be a good idea if people knew you had a home, so no one can just claim you as a stray." She opened her hand to reveal a plain, black collar. "It's not something you'd expect of a princess' dog, but I didn't think you'd like anything fancy. May I...?" Asch offered no resistance as she gently fastened the leather collar around his neck. "There you go... Asch." She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Bear the name well." She stood, and they regarded each other a moment, before she smiled and walked off. Asch suddenly felt the urge to look at himself, so he set off to find a mirror.

He found a large one decorating one of the hallways, and sat in front of it. He actually didn't mind the collar; he liked being able to wear something, since he couldn't wear clothes, and black was his favorite color. He stared at his reflection wistfully, reminded again of what he now was. He saw a red setter looking back at him, with those strangely perceptive eyes, but after a moment he also imagined that he saw his old self, the human Asch, smiling back at him from behind the dog.

Then he realized that he wasn't imagining.


	5. A Family Affair

"Hey, there, you must be Natalia's new friend," said the visitor, grinning as he bent down to Asch's level. He could only be Luke, the replica who a decade ago had unwittingly taken Asch's original name and life. He had regrown his hair, making him look even more identical to how Asch had looked when he'd been human. Asch was too surprised by his voice to even snarl before an incautious hand reached out to pat him on the head.

The reaction was as unexpected as it was immediate. A shock of pain ran through Asch from his head to his tail, throwing him back against the mirror. Luke yelled as a similar pain ran up his arm and through his body, throwing him backwards against the other wall..

"What the hell was that?!" cried Luke.

_What the hell was that?! _criedAsch, picking himself up. _Why are you even here?_

"I'm here to report to Uncle," Luke replied absently, rubbing his hand. It took a moment for the significance of this exchange to sink in. When it did, they both started talking at once.

"You can talk?" asked Luke.

_You can hear me?_ asked Asch.

"Sort of," replied Luke, dazedly wondering how the simple act of petting a dog had lead to this. "It's more like I'm hearing you in my head. It's just like-" his eyes suddenly went wide. "Asch- is that you?"

Asch growled in annoyance, but there was no sense in trying to lie. _Who do you think it is? _He snapped.

Luke stared at him in amazement and disbelief. "But how did you... I mean, you're..."

_Dead? Do I look dead right now? As for the how, I know about as much as you do_.

"Um... oh, okay. Uh... what just happened?"

_I'm not sure, but it was probably a fonic reaction of some sort. Apparently we're still perfect isofons, even though I'm in a different body now. Your fon slots are still open to me and the two of us coming into contact must have opened mine again. But the fonons are acting very strangely..._

"It's really you, then?" Luke seemed at a loss for words.

_Of course it's me! _Asch snapped, glowering as that familiar feeling of irritation he got when dealing with his replica returned full force. _Anyway, we're lucky we didn't create a hyperressonance or something, with how odd the seventh fonon is being right now. We should be careful not to come into contact with eac- what are you doing?! _Asch barely had time to let out a yelp as Luke, tears in his eyes, tackled him and brought him into a joyful embrace.

"I can't believe it's really you," he said.

_Let... go... of... me! _Asch struggled to break free or to snap at Luke's face, but he was being held tightly.

"Umm... Master Luke?"

Nobleman and dog both looked up to see a palace guard staring at them. His helmet obscured his face, but Asch was sure that he was looking at them with confusion and uncertainty. Fortunately, the guard knew that it wasn't his place to question the royal family's eccentricities, for he only said, "Master Luke, His Majesty will see you now."

"Oh, uh, thanks," replied Luke. He looked back at Asch, but there was no way he could keep the king waiting. "Meet me by the manor's gate at dusk," he whispered into Asch's ear as he stood and followed the guard down the hall.

"I'm glad you came," said Luke, as Asch trotted up to him through the descending darkness.

_It's not like I have anything better to do, _the setter grumbled. Actually, although he had generally kept to himself as a human, he was glad that he could once again talk with someone, even if it was his replica. It was one thing to deliberately not talk to anyone; quite another to physically not be able to.

"Let's go to the garden," said Luke. "We've got a lot to talk about." Asch followed him through the gates and into the peristylium, where he dismissed the few guards whose posts took them within view of it. Satisfied that they now had privacy, Luke sat down on the grass and Asch settled himself opposite of him. For a moment, they just stared at each other, not sure how to begin.

"So... how have you been?" Luke finally asked, rather lamely.

_How do I look? _Asch replied unhelpfully. When Luke didn't say anything, he added in a more even tone, _Well enough, given the circumstances._

"Oh. That's good," said Luke, and the awkward silence returned. Luke tried again. "How did you get here? What happened after you... died?"

_If you're looking for insight into the afterlife, you're going to have to ask someone else. I don't remember anything between Eldrant and being a dog. As for how I got here, it's a long story and not worth talking about. _Before Luke could press him further, Asch fixed him with an appraising stare. _What about you? Since I assume that the world didn't end, can I also assume that you killed Van? _He emphasized "killed" ever so slightly.

"Um, yeah," said Luke. "But I couldn't have done it without you. You gave me the power to defeat Master Van." He smiled slightly. "I never thought I'd I'd be able to say 'thanks' in person, but thank you, Asch."

Asch grunted._ You're still as soft as ever, I see. In any case, it certainly seems like you're enjoying life after the Score._

"Oh, yeah," said Luke brightly. "I work as an ambassador between Kimlasca and all of the major world powers, thanks to all the friends I made on my journey." At that moment, Luke suddenly seemed to grow a second head from around the waist- a small, blue furry one with large ears.

"I travel around the world, too!" the cheagle said in a high, cheery voice as it peered from the traveling bag. "I've been more places than any other of my people, so I'm their representative, now!"

Asch curled his lip distastefully. _What is _that_ doing here? _

"Mieu?" asked Luke, and it took a moment for Asch to realize that he was saying the creature's name and not imitating its irritating cry. "Mieu is my traveling companion. He was in my pouch when I ran into you in the castle, and he's here now because he has an idea." Mieu leaped down from the bag to the ground, not particularly gracefully but managing to not fall over as he landed on his small feet. The sorcerer's ring glinted in the moonlight.

Asch looked at Luke as though he must be joking, but Luke was looking down at Mieu. "You sure this'll work?" he asked .

"I think so," the cheagle said, bobbing uncertainly, and before Asch could declare how absurd asking a cheagle for advice was, Mieu leaped out of the sorcerer's ring and Luke grabbed it. Asch was starting to ask what the meaning of this was when he felt a sudden, painful pressure around his head and ears as Luke forced the ring over it.

_What are you- gah_- "Gah! What the hell do you think you're doing? Get away from me!" Asch jumped back with a snarl and looked angry enough to lunge, but Luke and Mieu seemed strangely elated. It was then that he realized what had happened.

"It good to here you again, Asch," Luke said softly, smiling. Mieu could now only make normal cheagle sounds, but Asch found that he could still comprehend them- he was expressing happiness that his idea had worked.

Asch's shouting had attracted the attention of manor guards, but after Luke assured them that he had merely stubbed his toe they left, albeit confused as to why such a hurt seemed to have put their master into such high spirits. Confident that they were alone again, Asch tried out his voice once more.

"You could have warned me you were going to do that."

"I didn't want to get your hopes up," said Luke. "But you're right, I probably should have. Sorry."

Asch just grumbled something in response and silence returned for a third time, save for a few experimental vocalizations from Asch. The ring's power made his throat feel funny, although it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Finally, Luke asked the question he'd wanted to ask all night, and the one that Asch had been dreading.

"Does Natalia know?"

"What do you think?" Asch retorted. He added more softly, "Of course she doesn't know. And it's going to stay that way." He had meant that last to sound threatening, but to Luke it almost sounded like a plea.

"Hey, this isn't exactly something I can take to Natalia without some kind of proof, you know. I won't say anything if you don't want me to. Although, I really think you should. Do you have any idea how happy she'd be?"

"That her fiance's a dog? Are you stupid? She's better off not knowing." Wanting to get away from this subject as quickly as possible, Asch asked the question he'd been meaning to ask before Mieu had appeared with the ring: "How are father and mother?"

Luke's cheerful demeanor changed instantly, as though this were the question_ he'd _been dreading all night. He suddenly seemed to become very interested in his shoes as he said, "Father's well."

"And mother?" Asch pressed, fearing the answer. "Is she ill again?"

For a moment Luke seemed unsure how to respond. Finally, he said, "I'll take you to her. Mieu, stay here."

"No," breathed Asch, as he read the name on the tombstone. He had fervently hoped that she was just ill, as Susanne had often been, and although he had known the truth the moment Luke had taken him to the meadow behind the manor instead of leading him to her bedroom, although he'd known it from the tone of his voice, his shocked mind had still tried to deny it. Now, however, as he stood at her grave, breathing in the sweet scent of the cut flowers that had been recently laid there, while Luke stood gazing at him from a respectful distance, he had to face the truth: she was gone.

"How?" he asked softly.

It took Luke a moment before he spoke, his voice quiet and tender. "Mother was devastated after the fall of Eldrant- she thought that she'd lost both her sons. Her health rapidly declined after that. When I came back a year later, she improved, but the damage had been done. She passed away six months ago." Asch didn't say anything; his eyes remained fixed upon the grave. Not knowing what else to do, Luke continued. "She went very peacefully. Father and I were there, holding her hands, and we all said goodbye." He paused, fighting to maintain control of his voice. "I said goodbye for you, too."

Asch continued to sit in silence, but now his gaze wandered away from Susanne's grave, to the one next to it- his own grave, where his own body must be buried, eternally resting next to his mother- the son who could not even uphold that most basic of tenets, that a child should not die before the parent. It was his failure that had killed her.

"Asch," Luke said softly, coming to stand at his side. "I- I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have told you this way. I should have-" but he didn't seem able to think of a better way, so they just stood there in silence once more, but different from the awkward pauses earlier in the night, for now they were united by their grief. After a few minutes' silent reflection, Luke turned and began to leave.

"I'll leave you alone for a bit," he said, and as he walked away from the grave and the unmoving figure before it, though he might have imagined it he thought heard a sound like quiet weeping.


	6. Van's Curse

Natalia screamed in terror, shrinking against the bed's headboard and shielding herself with the sheets as Asch approached her. For a moment he was confused- he was human once more, so why was she so frightened of him? He looked down at himself as realization hit him- for one thing, he was nude, save for the leather dog collar that hung ridiculously about his neck. More importantly, he was also supposed to be dead, not skulking about a lady's bedroom in the dark of night. Unsure of what to do next, he looked into Natalia's face, and Natalia looked back at him with a mixture of fear, confusion, and betrayal.

"How could you?" she asked.

How could he? How could he what? He tried to answer her, to reassure her, but when he opened his mouth all that came out was barking, and somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that he needed the ring, and Natalia kept repeating her question in that same accusing tone... How could you.

Asch fell from the chair, hitting the floor with a dull _thud_. It took him a moment to orient himself- he was in Natalia's room, but he was still a red setter and Natalia was sleeping peacefully, though she had stirred a little when he had fallen. He had been sleeping on her reading chair; it was now covered with red hair.

Asch sighed wearily as he picked himself up off the floor. It had been three days since he had learned of Suzanne's death, and he hadn't slept well since. He'd been eating little and hadn't left the princess' chambers; Natalia was quite concerned for him, though she didn't know what was wrong.

He gazed at the sleeping princess, and remembering his nightmare he suddenly felt ashamed and guilty for doing so- he was in her room, watching her, without her knowing who he really was. Although he probably could have found a way to communicate with her before Luke's return, his information gathering had conveniently kept him occupied. However, with the sorcerer's ring (which he didn't have at the moment; Mieu had apologized but said that it wasn't his to give, as it belonged to all the cheagles, although Asch could borrow it whenever he wished) he did have an easy way of telling her, and was now choosing not to. Not that anything good would come of her knowing the truth, he reminded himself. Looking away, he padded softly into Natalia's closet, which was almost as big as the bedroom and contained all manner of bizarre outfits and other possessions that wouldn't fit in the main room. Asch had made himself a small bed on the floor out of spare blankets and cushions, and retreated to it whenever Natalia was doing something that called for absolute privacy.

He laid down on the makeshift bed (which was also covered in hair- he'd been shedding so much in the past few days he wondered that he wasn't bald yet.) All of his moping had given him plenty of time to think, and it was invading his slumber. Most of his dreams the past few nights had been little more than just remembered feelings he associated with Baticul- all of the negative ones from the day ten years ago when he had traveled halfway around the world, because he had thought that he was needed here, only to find that he'd been replaced without anyone even noticing. Van had come, then, and in Asch's moment of weakness struck, telling him that he had never really been needed or loved by anyone here, and that the proof lay right before his eyes. And as Asch had looked upon all of them- Guy, his parents, Natalia- as they fawned over that false Luke, the words of his teacher and kidnapper had made terrible sense. And then Van had said that he needed Asch, and only Asch, and Asch had believed him because it was clear that he had no place here anymore, and if Van didn't need him, who did?

Of course, Van had just been using him- he'd needed his hyperressonance, and he'd only said those things in order to manipulate a confused and vulnerable ten year old. Yet, Asch mused, Van hadn't lied. None of his family could have reasonably been expected to guess the truth- successful fomicry was virtually unheard of back then- but that didn't change the fact that Asch had been replaceable to them, and the fact that those feelings of hurt and resentment still lingered even now were proof of how effective Van's plan had been. He'd poisoned Asch with the truth.

Asch shifted uncomfortably on his blankets. He never should have come back. The only place for him here was the grave behind the fon Fabre manor next to Suzanne. He was just a fraud now, and he needed to go before Natalia got any more attached to him- she only kept him here because he reminded her of a man who could never really come back, and he didn't want to hurt her any more than he already had. He was still mulling his imminent escape as he drifted back into an uneasy slumber.

"...Asch. Asch?"

Asch opened one bleary eye and awoke with a start: Natalia was kneeling by his side, looking down at him. He bolted upright; how could he ever have let someone sneak up on him like that? Natalia drew back a little uncertainly. "How are you feeling today, Asch?"

_I'm fine_, Asch lied, although of course she couldn't hear him, anyway. He noticed that she had a small bundle of some sort next to her.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go on a picnic with me?" she asked.

_A picnic?_ The idea sounded absurd, and Asch wondered yet again why she always asked him things like she expected a response- he was her dog, and dogs didn't get a say in what their masters wanted of them. In any case, as silly as a picnic sounded he did have to admit that some fresh air would feel good after three days inside, and if he remembered correctly there was a nice spot just outside of the city that the nobility had used for such things when he was a kid; he assumed that that hadn't changed. Getting out of Baticul could only be a good thing. He stood up and _huffed_ his assent.

"Good," she said with a relieved smile, standing up and taking the picnic basket with her as she did. Asch followed her quietly as she selected a sun hat from among the collection in the closet, then out of the chambers, down the stairs and through the palace. Soldiers were waiting by the front entrance to escort them, but no one else joined them- no friends or even servants. Asch wondered why Natalia would go on a picnic by herself, as for all intents and purposes he wasn't a person anymore.

As if she had read his mind, Natalia explained the situation as they walked. "I had wanted to get everyone together while they were here, but Anise and Tear had to return to their duties, Luke had a meeting this morning, and Guy received an urgent message from Emperor Peony and had to return to Grand Chokmah immediately. Apparently one of the Emperor's rappigs has gone missing." She said the last as if she didn't quite understand it, either, which was fine with Asch because he couldn't follow it at all. "It's such a nice day, though, that father insisted that I take a break this morning."

It was about midmorning when they left the castle, which was late for Asch who was used to rising with the sun. The fresh air and warm sun did feel good, though, and he was soon walking with more spirit as they left the city limits for the private meadow just beyond. There, with the soldiers taking up posts at a respectable distance, Natalia spread a blanket in the shade of a lonely looking tree standing by itself in the clearing. Asch sat down next to her as she settled herself on the grass, and for a moment neither moved, enjoying the serenity.

"I do feel a little guilty," Natalia said presently, and Asch jumped a little at the sudden sound of her voice. "Things have been quiet lately, but there's always something to do, and I feel selfish spending a morning relaxing, even with father's blessing. Still, this will probably be one of the last opportunities I have to just spend a little time in the countryside. It's too bad that no one else could come- but then, we all have our own responsibilities now, and we can't just ignore them for personal pleasure." Asch detected a note of sadness in her voice, but when he turned to look at her she was already looking at him. "That's why I'm glad that you're here, now. Luke and Guy used to be the only people in Upper Baticul my age, and with them gone so much it can be rather lonely. It's nice to have someone to talk to, even if you can't talk back, although it feels like you do actually understand me sometimes." She gave him a strange look, and for a panicked moment Asch thought that she had somehow figured out his secret, when suddenly she smiled and said, "You must be hungry." She reached for the basket. "Since this is a picnic, I thought I'd make the food myself."

Asch's heart sank. He'd had one brief experience with Natalia's cooking when they'd traveled to Belkend together- he couldn't recall being that ill since the time he'd been poisoned by a basilisk years earlier. Natalia, oblivious to his reservations, was unpacking what looked like chicken, or something that was supposed to be chicken. She placed a generous portion- a little too generous- in front of Asch, and then stared at him nervously.

"I'm afraid that I still need a little practice," she said modestly. "Asch- you namesake- said that I didn't need to know how to cook, because I'm a princess, but I think it's important to be well rounded, wouldn't you agree?"

_You're asking a dog,_ Asch wanted to remind her, but she was giving him such a hopeful look that he gingerly took a bite, then began to eat in earnest as he realized that he was starving. It wasn't so bad, really, if one swallowed the burnt parts whole and ate around the undercooked ones...

Something lodged painfully in Asch's throat; he'd swallowed a bone. He began to hack and choke ignominiously, while Natalia rushed to his side to try to help.

"I messed it up again..."

_'Not your fault,_ Asch wheezed, as the bone finally dislodged. For a few moments he just lay panting, while Natalia finished her own brunch (Asch had to admire her courage.) She had also brought some pastries that she had made herself, which would have tasted much better had she not confused the sugar with salt. Asch was starting to wonder if her friends' abrupt disappearances before this picnic were merely coincidental when a sudden movement in the tall grass caught his eye. He froze, every muscle in his body tensed, his gaze fixed firmly on that spot.

"What's wrong?" Natalia asked in a hushed tone, looking up from the book she had just taken out.

_Quiet,_ Asch commanded as he silently stalked forward, and despite not being able to hear him she made no more noise. He stole a glance at the soldiers who were supposed to be protecting the princess; they didn't appear to have noticed anything, but Asch sensed movement again- something fairly large was definitely there. An animal scent reached his nostrils as he approached- it appeared to be avian, too large for a chirpee and too small for a griffin, perhaps a member of the axebeak family...

The monster leaped into the air, and Asch sprang into action at almost the same time, his jaws snapping down mere centimeters from the bird's tail as it noisily took to the air. Asch jumped again, but it was out of his reach; he was so frustrated that he actually _barked_, something he'd never done before. But the monster was flying away from Natalia, and now that he could see it fully he realized that it wasn't a monster at all- it was a grouse, squawking its protest at having its morning meal so rudely interrupted and looking much larger to Asch from his canine perspective than it would have otherwise. Behind him, he could hear the princess laughing, and he burned with embarrassment- he must have looked incredibly foolish, indeed. He slowly made his way back to her, his head and tail low.

"Oh, Asch," she finally managed, as her mirth began to wind down. "I appreciate the effort, but this area has long been clear of monsters- that's what makes it such a great picnic spot." Seeing his dejected look, she added, "Don't look like that- come here," and to his surprise he felt her arm around his neck, gently but firmly drawing him to her. He was further surprised by the fact that he didn't resist, but allowed himself to be steered so that he was sitting directly next to her. She continued to smile at him fondly, but when Asch looked up he saw tears forming in her eyes. She brought her other arm around him and hugged him.

"Please don't ever leave me, okay?" she whispered into his ear.

_What brought this on?_ Asch asked, startled, and Natalia pulled back, looking a little embarrassed herself.

"After all, I have nothing to fear as long as you're with me," she finished, placing her hand on the top of his head. For the first time since he'd come back, Asch didn't feel uncomfortable at her touch; indeed, he suddenly felt strangely relaxed as they sat there together, and it was as though, if only for this moment, he were finally free of Van's curse. He lay down next to her, feeling the weariness of the past few days, and as he did so he felt a brief pang of guilt return, but Natalia seemed so happy to have him at her side, and he decided, as he began to drowse, that even if he couldn't be happy here, then perhaps he could at least be content.


	7. Bodysnatcher

"Hit me."

Both Luke and Asch gazed at Mieu intently.

"Are you sure?" asked Luke. The cheagle nodded, staring determinedly at the more than half dozen playing cards he held as Luke silently handed him another. Asch snorted impatiently.

They were sitting on the floor of Luke's room, the furniture pushed to the side for additional space, huddled in a small circle and playing Blackjack. Luke and Mieu had recently gone to Keterburg, where the cheagle had heard mention of the game and wanted to know how to play it. Luke had agreed to teach him, on the condition that he never tell Tear that they'd taught him to play cards.

_Well? _Asch prompted him, as the cheagle seemed to take an inordinate amount of time to count his cards. He was in a bad mood; he'd busted on the first pass (what a time to draw a queen!) and since both Luke and Mieu could understand him without the ring (Mieu said that Canine was very similar to Monster, even though he "had a funny accent") the cheagle had the ring for the moment so that Luke could hear him.

"Hit me."

_Don't tempt me, pipsqueak._

Luke glared at Asch reproachfully but said nothing as he gave Mieu another card. The cheagle had to be over the 21 mark by now, but they were only playing for fun, after all. Luke was surprised that Asch had agreed to play with them in the first place; he'd originally gone to ask Guy (who'd returned late the night before, muttering something about a rappig mating season and that Jade sent his regards) but the Malkuth noble who spent so much time in Kimlasca couldn't be found that morning. That was when he and Asch had come across each other and the setter had been surprisingly receptive to the idea.

Asch was starting to wonder himself why he'd bothered. He'd only agreed out of sheer boredom; Natalia had disappeared this morning sometime after breakfast, and there wasn't much for him to do around the castle by himself. It had been about two weeks since they'd picnicked together, and in that time Asch had to admit that he wasn't going to get a better deal anywhere else. Natalia practically treated him as a human being, even when she had to do things for him that he couldn't do himself, such as brushing out his long, beautiful coat. Even the rest of the castle had warmed to him, mostly because he was so clean and considerate for a dog, regularly washing to ensure he'd have no doggy smell and wiping his paws when he came in to avoid tracking mud. The only thing he couldn't do much about was the shedding, but even that had eased up now that he wasn't so stressed. He hadn't so much decided to stay as he'd put off his departure indefinitely- much of his average day was spent in Natalia's company, and jaded though he was even he couldn't deny how much he enjoyed that. He did feel guilty every now and again for withholding from her the truth, but he rationalized that his presence made her happy, even though it had become obvious that something was bothering her. But although she shared with him many of her thoughts and feelings, she didn't seem to want to talk about this. Part of his motive for coming to the manor had been to ask Luke about it.

If this damned cheagle would hurry up.

_Aren't you done yet_? he snapped.

"Mieu?" Luke asked more gently, sensing Asch's impatience. His original actually seemed to have calmed down a lot compared to how he had once been- they'd been able to hold civil conversations with one another, and he hadn't even called him "dreck" once yet. However, Asch still had a short temper and Luke had decided that it was best to learn the warning signs and avoid antagonizing him unnecessarily. He looked over at the red setter, and imagined that this must be what it was like to have a brother- except for the fact that one of them had four feet, a tail, and perhaps the occasional urge to chew shoes.

"Are you ready, Mieu?" he prompted again, as the cheagle hadn't responded. Mieu's face was the picture of concentration; it was like he'd bet the entirety of the Cheagle Woods on this hand.

"Hit me."

_Grrr, enough already! There's no way you could have that many cards and not bust! _Asch exploded, as Luke handed Mieu another card.

"Well, Mieu? How about you show us your hand, now?" Luke asked, trying to ignore the seething Asch. Mieu scrutinized his hand, which was now ten cards, and for a moment the young noble feared that he was going to ask for another and further incur the setter's wrath.

Fortunately, Mieu finally looked up and with his customary cheerfulness said "Okay!" as he laid out his cards. Luke and Asch both leaned forward to look at them- an assortment of threes, twos and the ace he'd just been given.

Asch frowned inwardly as he tried to add the numbers. This was simple math, he knew, but for some reason he couldn't make sense of them. He shook his head in frustration. He was irritated, and becoming more so, and he always had trouble concentrating when he got that way. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, though, for Luke had already counted the numbers.

"That adds up to 21, all right," he said, surprised. "You win, Mieu."

"Yay!" the cheagle bounced happily.

_You're not shuffling the cards right! _Asch yelled at Luke. _Here, let me show you how to do it. _Although Asch couldn't shuffle the cards himself, he carefully directed Luke how to do so, and soon they'd started a new game using his technique. Asch glanced at his two cards, propped up by one paw and secured with his dewclaw (a dewclaw was no replacement for an opposable thumb, but he was learning to make the most of it.) He didn't need to do math to realize that he'd been dealt a good hand- a king and a queen. He'd almost certainly win this time.

"Master, what does it mean again when I have a jack and an ace?"

"Err, that's called a 'blackjack.' It means you win again, Mieu," Luke replied, sounding surprised. "And I keep telling you, I'm not your 'Master' anymore."

"Mieu, sorry Master."

_Damn it! _Asch fumed, throwing down his cards.

"Asch, calm down," Luke said, his patience finally at an end. "We're just having some fun."

_Stupid annoying blue...thing,_ Asch grumbled.

"Mieu, I'm sorry," squeaked the cheagle, then he brightened as a thought came to him. "Here, you can use the Sorcerer's Ring for a bit!" And with that he approached the setter and took off the ring, carefully placing it about Asch's neck. Asch felt the peculiar sensation in his throat that meant that he could now speak once more.

Luke began to get up. "You guys are welcome to stay if you want," he can said, "but I can't play anymore today. I've got to get ready."

"Ready for what?" Asch asked, jumping onto Luke's bed. He didn't like having to talk up to him.

Luke grinned as he stepped in front of his mirror. "Tear's coming today," he said.

"Yesterday Guy, now Tear? Baticul must be a really popular place."

"Well, we all have a lot of responsibilities now, but we still try to see each other when we can. We went through a lot together- of course we're all still close." He looked over at the setter, but he was still scowling uncomprehendingly. He sighed, but supposed it wasn't fair to expect Asch to understand such a level of friendship and camaraderie. He couldn't help but pity him for it. "Anyway, Tear's latest assignment brings her near here, so she's stopping by for a bit."

"Oh," said Asch, sounding distracted. When Luke looked over, he was nosing the black traveling cloak that had been flung onto the bed when they'd moved it earlier. "This is mine," he said.

"Um, yeah," said Luke, a bit uncomfortably. "Listen, when Lorelei brought me back, my own clothing was in pretty bad shape, and I... found... some of yours, and thought I'd borrow it... It was pretty shredded, but I manage to save part of your tabard, and had it remade." He thought for a moment. "I used to wear it in memory of you, but you're right, it's yours. Take it."

"What am I going to do with it now?" Asch retorted.

"Right," said Luke, as he went to his wardrobe.

"So, Tear is coming... I'd have thought you'd two be married or something by now," Asch said, watching Luke's reaction from the corner of his eye.

"Well... it's kind of complicated," Luke said, pausing.

"Oh?" Asch prompted. Nothing would lighten his mood like hearing about Luke's problems.

"It's the whole class thing," he said, selecting a collared shirt and walking back to the mirror. "I'm supposed to marry someone from among the nobility, and Tear isn't nobility. Father and Uncle are trying to work things out, and even Jade is quietly compiling research showing why the current tradition is genetically unhealthy, but it's been... messy." He absently pulled off his shirt, revealing a toned but heavily scarred torso- many of the scars were old and faded, but four stood out brutal and red. Two even looked as though they'd been made by the same weapon, run clean through the abdomen, although such a wound should have been fatal. Regardless, they had all been terrible and painful. Asch knew; he remembered receiving them.

Luke turned as he was putting the shirt on, oblivious to the impending danger. "Still, we don't have it as bad as... Asch, what's wrong?" The setter was staring him with his eyes wide and his mouth slightly gaping.

"Th-that's my...body," he stammered.

Luke looked down at the scars still exposed by his unbuttoned shirt and realized his mistake. "Asch," he said quickly, trying to diffuse the situation. "I can explain. You see, when I freed Lorelei, you were already dead and my body was disintegrating, and I'm not quite sure what happened but I think it combined what was left of me with your body and-"

His attempt at placation was in vain. Asch exploded with a sudden fury that made Mieu rush for cover and startled even Luke.

"It wasn't enough for you to just take my place, was it?! You had to have _everything _now,including my body! Does it make you happy, _dreck_?! You miserable grave-robbing corpse-thief!"

"Asch, calm down!" Luke cried frantically.

"Don't tell me to calm down! Don't you _dare _tell me to calm down! How can I calm down after-"

"Master Luke!" cried a muffled voice from behind the door. "What's wrong?" It was Ramdas.

Luke looked panicked but managed to keep his tone relatively calm as he answered, "Uh, nothing Ramdas, everything's fine!"

"Lord Fabre, may I come in?" Ramdas asked uncertainly.

There was a flurry of motion in the room as Asch hastily passed the ring back to Mieu while Luke buttoned up his shirt. "Um, yes, of course, Ramdas!" he called to the door, which opened to permit Ramdas' head. He peered around the room, taking in the cleared furniture, the scattered playing cards on the floor, the cheagle sitting on the bed with the princess's dog and the young noble standing next to it wearing a shirt that had been buttoned wrong.

"I heard shouting," he said, unsure how to interpret the strange scene. "I came to make sure things were all right."

"Everything's fine," Luke said quickly. "We- I- was, uh, rehearsing for a new play, _Jade the Necromancer_." And he grabbed some papers off of his desk, hoping Ramdas wouldn't somehow realize that they were a list of produce imports and not a script. "Asch and Mieu here are my sounding board."

Ramdasraised an eyebrow but fortunately did not pursue the matter. "Locrian Sergeant Grants has arrived," was all he said.

"Thank you, Ramdas, you may go now," Luke said, with an unusually authoritative air. Ramdas bowed and withdrew, shaking his head as he closed the door. Duke fon Fabre had long since ceased most of his attempts to make Luke a proper noble, bur rehearsing plays with cheagles and dogs? Luke's behavior was becoming increasingly more bizarre and worrisome.

Luke put his hand to his forehead. "That was close," he said.

Asch jumped off of the bed. _I'm out of here, _he announced.

"Asch..." Luke started to say something, but stopped. "Sorry," he said helplessly.

_Whatever. Enjoy your "date,_" _Luke_, the setter said sarcastically as he let himself out. He left the manor and headed for the castle, still fuming. It was bad enough that he was dead, but what a way to add insult to injury! The nerve of that- that- what? He couldn't call him a replica anymore, because he now inhabited his original's body. He couldn't really call him "dreck" anymore, either- he'd proven himself better than Asch in almost every respect. He'd bested him in battle on Eldrant. He'd been the one to defeat Van and save the world, to return the hero, to hold mother's hand when she'd... she'd...

Asch sighed, his anger draining out of him at the memory of Susanne's death. There was no question about it. Luke was the better student, the better son, the better Luke fon Fabre. Asch was the imposter now.

His self pitying was interrupted by the commotion in th castle's reception hall. It was full of people, and they all smelled- literally, to Asch's nose- like gald and in some cases perfume. He looked around and realized that every noble house in Kimlasca must be represented here- probably just the heads of houses, come together to meet with the king about something important. He noticed that the majority of them were redheads, and was suddenly reminded about what Luke had said about current marriage tradition being genetically unhealthly. He spotted Alpine glancing about apprehensively as he stood before the entrance to the Audience Room, and Duke fon Fabre talking to another noble. Asch starting walking toward him, hoping to overhear what this meeting was about, when he realized that his father was talking to none other than Lord Teon, looking out of place with his blonde hair. Asch quickly reversed direction at that; the last thing he needed was the trouble there'd be if he were recognized. He made a beeline for the door- and smacked his snout straight into a tall nobleman who smelled overpoweringly like lavender. Asch didn't particularly hate flowery scents, but he didn't really like them either, especially when it was so strong that he felt like he'd smell nothing else for the rest of the week. The nobleman looked down at him with the look he might give something he'd found on the bottom of his shoe, and Asch managed to return his glare, but remembered that he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention to himself. He strode past the noble with a surprising dignity and quietly exited the castle.

He decided to head to the picnic meadow until Teon and the others had gone; he wanted to be alone for a bit, anyway. The guards ignored him as he worked the elevator to go down, having grown used to his quirky behavior. He steadily made his way through the lower parts of the city and out of its bounds, remembering the path he and Natalia had taken a couple of weeks prior. Soon he had crested a small rise to look out across the meadow.

And saw something that made his blood run cold.


	8. Another Surprise

It took Asch a moment to fully process what he was seeing- his first thought was that he'd never seen Guy so close to a female before, much less make any sort of physical contact. Indeed, the young count seemed to be sitting next to his companion rather awkwardly, shifting ever so slightly as though alternately torn between wanting to be closer and wanting to shrink away. But it wasn't Guy himself that interested Asch so much as who he was sitting with- Natalia.

Asch lost control then- before even he realized what was happening he was tearing across the field, straight at Guy. The Malkuthian count saw him, but was just a little too slow in registering him as a threat- Asch was on him before he could get to his feet, pouncing on his chest with such force that both of them were knocked back and away from Natalia.

_Get away from her!_ Asch roared, bearing his teeth and snarling directly into Guy's face.

"What the hell?!" Guy screamed, jerking his head to avoid a possible strike from his aggressor's fangs as he tried to push him off. This was unnecessary, however; Asch felt himself roughly pulled back by his collar, his forelegs suddenly lifted into the air as he was forced backwards. Years of archery training had given Natalia surprisingly strong arms.

"Asch!" she cried in horror, lowering the choking setter to the ground but maintaining her firm grip. "I'm sorry," she said to Guy, "he must have thought you were threatening me, he was only trying to protect me..."

_Damn right! _Asch cried, accentuating the thought with several snarling barks.

"Um, yeah, don't worry about it..." Guy mumbled, watching Asch warily as he got to his feet. Asch regained enough composure to see the futility of further resistance; he stopped barking and just glared angrily at the young nobleman.

"Asch," Natalia addressed him sternly, relaxing her hold on him a little, "go home, now. Do you understand? Go to the castle." She turned him away from Guy and pointed in the direction of Baticul. She carefully released his collar, but Asch was in control of himself once more, and as much as he wanted to attack Guy again he knew better. He gave her a last angry and hurt look as he slunk away; that was the first time Natalia had spoken to him like someone would a normal, dumb dog. As he stormed back toward Baticul, he opened his mental link with Luke.

_I want answers. NOW, _he demanded.

_Asch? What's going on? Your emotions are so strong I'm picking them up all the way over here, but I can't see what's happening, _Luke responded.

_Why didn't you tell me about Natalia and Guy?!_

For a moment there was no response. Then Luke replied, with accompanying feelings of realization and guilt, _I'm sorry, Asch, I thought you already knew..._

_Do you think I'd have just taken it sitting down?! _

_Well..._

_I want to know everything. No more secrets! Where are you right now?_

He could feel Luke hesitate before he responded. _Look, I'll tell you everything, really, but now's a bad time. Meet me behind the manor again tonight, okay?_

_I'm not waiting any more. Tell me now!_

_Asch, please, just wait until tonight, I really... can't right now. _To prove it, Luke sent him an image of what he was seeing with his own eyes- Tear, standing beside him in the peristylium and looking at him worriedly. Luke had hoped that Asch would appreciate the fact that he was spending quality time with his own significant other, but it only seemed to agitate him further- fortunately, instead of pursuing the matter, Asch just cut their link with one final burst of anguish.

"Are you all right?" Tear asked him, and it took Luke a moment to refocus on his surroundings.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine," he assured her.

"You suddenly got a strange look on your face, then just stopped and started staring into space."

"Really? Sorry, I was just...thinking about things. Hey, you're going to be here for a few days, right?"

"I have to report back to Daath at the beginning of next week. Why?"

"Something came up tonight that I have to take care of, but I'll make it up to you, I promise. Okay?"

Tear gave him a questioning look but said nothing. Luke was even busier than she was these days, although she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something strange going on right now. "Okay," she said.

Luke smiled reassuringly as he put his arm around her waist and they continued their walk. "We'll have a good time," he said, momentarily forgetting his concerns about Asch.

Asch, meanwhile, was on the warpath as he stormed his way back to Natalia's chambers. He'd always known, ever since he'd left his old life in Baticul, that Natalia would be destined to marry someone else- probably his replica, fulfilling his childhood proposal (and the more formal betrothal arranged by their parents) in his stead. That thought alone had sickened and angered him, like a poisoned thorn in his then figurative paw. The thought of how Luke had spurned her love actually enraged him even more than if he'd returned it- as if he'd ever deserved her, anyway! Even though he and his replica had reached a better understanding of one another, the fact that Luke had found someone else had still given him some small relief, even though it meant she'd just marry some other noble.

But Guy? Had they forgotten who he was, and what he'd done? Asch certainly hadn't. He was the orphaned Malkuth noble who'd tried to murder a child as revenge for the deeds of the father. The person Asch had loved like a brother, believing that Guy felt the same, never realizing that it was all an act, that Guy hated him enough to kill him for things he hadn't even done, and that he was just using him to achieve his own ends, the same as Van. No, in some ways he was worse than Van. Van had always believed in Asch's abilities over Luke's, even though he'd never cared about either of them beyond how they could best serve his purposes. Guy had hated Asch, and should have been expected to hate Luke as well, but he had genuinely befriended that whiny, spoiled brat while continuing to reject Asch. Asch had outwardly pretended that it didn't bother him, but it had wounded him in a way that neither his family nor Natalia could have- their betrayal of him had been unintentional, whereas Guy's was deliberate and vindictive. Asch couldn't forgive him for that.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized that he'd returned to the room- until he suddenly became aware that he was laying in the middle of it, and that he was taking his frustration out on something pleasantly tough to his sharp teeth and strong jaws. He looked down to see one of Natalia's favorite slippers, now scarred by numerous tooth marks, resting between his paws. For a moment he just stared at it uncomprehendingly, then jumped up with a horrified yelp and eyed it with shock. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he have allowed himself to do such an unbelievably _doggish_ thing? He didn't even remember doing it- one moment he had been fuming over Guy, and the next thing he knew the slipper was in his mouth...

Forcing himself to bite down on his shame and confusion, Asch's mind raced furiously. There was no hiding this; Natalia often wore this pair of slippers when she planned on spending most of the day in the castle. He had no right to conceal it from her, anyway- this was his crime, and he was responsible for it, even if he hadn't consciously done it. With great care (so as to avoid damaging it further,) he replaced the slipper next to its mate in the wardrobe, then laid back down in the center of the floor, too miserable to do anything but wait until evening.

He must have starting to drift off, because he barely noticed the maid coming and going, and didn't stir until the door opened and Natalia walked in. He silently rose to meet her, while she regarded him carefully. She knelt down so that they were at eye level, placing her hand on the top of his head.

"I know you meant well," she said softly, "and I want you to know that Guy isn't going to replace you. But he's someone very special to me, and I need you to understand that. _Please _understand that. Please?"

_I understand all too well,_ Asch thought sadly, looking her full in the face. Their eyes met, but this time it was Natalia who looked away.

"It may not matter, anyway," she said, rising and walking to her bed, where the maid had laid out a gown for her to wear to dinner. Rather than retreat to the closet like he normally did when she changed, Asch left the chambers entirely, opting instead to wait for nightfall in the solitude behind the fon Fabre manor.


	9. Retribution

"You weren't waiting too long, were you?" Luke asked as he approached the setter lying in the grass, near the gravestones.

_Not really,_ Asch grunted as he rose. He guessed that he'd been there about two hours. The tranquility of such a hallowed place should have calmed him, but he found it somewhat unsettling. The sight of the two gravestones bearing his mother's name and his own hadn't helped.

"Good, good," Luke said distractedly, looking around to ensure that they weren't being watched. "Hey, Mieu's not here but he said that you could use this." He pulled the sorcerer's ring from his pocket, holding it out so that Asch could stick his head through it.

"Natalia and Guy," Asch said, the moment he was able to speak. "Tell me everything. _Everything._"

"Okay," Luke said, "but there's not much to to tell. They're... close."

"I know that already," Asch snapped. "But how did it happen? And when? And what did Natalia mean by 'It might not matter'?"

"Asch, I really don't see how knowing is going to help-"

"_Tell me!_"

"Okay, okay," Luke said quickly. This already wasn't going well, and it was only going to get worse. "From what I've heard, it started shortly after the fall of Hod, when everyone came back heroes. I... don't exactly know all the details." He didn't want to mention that by all accounts their relationship had started because Natalia had been virtually inconsolable over the loss of her childhood friend and the death of her fiancée, and Guy had been there to support her- first as a friend, then as something more. "Anyway, at first they kept their relationship discreet, but you know how gossip travels, especially when royalty is involved. People generally ignored it at first, because no one thought anything more would come of it. When they went public with it, though..."

"Well?" Asch prompted.

Luke faltered. "When it became clear that they wished to wed, a whole scandal broke loose among the Kimlascan nobility, because Guy's from Malkuth."

"Of course," Asch breathed, wondering why he didn't realize sooner.

"Yeah," Luke continued. "They've been pressuring Uncle to force Natalia to wed a Kimlascan noble."

"That's how it usually works," Asch said. "You grew up a noble, too- you should know this."

"I know, I know. It's just that- well, it's not right. First Tear and I can't marry because she's not a noble, and now even though Guy and Natalia both are they can't because he's from a different country?"

"You can't honestly be that naive," Asch said. "You know it's not that simple. Think about it: whoever marries Natalia inherits the throne of Kimlasca! Do you think the people of Kimlasca would stand for a Malkuthian as their king?"

"The people love Natalia. Sweet Lorelei, they were willing to die for her sake!"

"All the more reason for her to avoid antagonizing them. A lot of people of all social classes lost relatives to Malkuth forces during the wars. Natalia's claim to the throne is tenuous enough as it is- I'm sure some among the nobility would love to challenge it again, if the people didn't stand in their way."

"Well..."

"Stop being so sentimental," Asch continued. "Marriage among the upper classes has always been arranged- it's all about politics, not love. Even Father and Mother's marriage was like that." Luke couldn't really argue with that; although the Duke and Suzanne had always gotten along well enough, it didn't take long in their company to wonder how the kind, frail duchess had ended up with the cold and sometimes bloodthirsty Duke fon Fabre.

"Well," Luke said, considering his next words carefully, "I think it's time that changed. I think it's time people finally put the war and violence behind them, and I think Natalia is the person who can do it."

"Fortunately, idiots like you don't make those decisions."

Luke gave him a sorrowful look. "You're right," he said, "I don't. That's for the council that met today to decide."

"That's what all those nobles were here for?"

Luke nodded. "Some of the younger nobles and Father support Natalia, but most of the older ones are firmly against it."

Asch snorted. "I'm surprised that Father would be in favor of such a break with tradition."

"He's changed, Asch. The whole mess with you and me forced him to think outside of conventional wisdom, and now that Mother's gone, he's been especially supportive of Natalia's decision, even if he doesn't personally agree with it. Asch... you don't know how she grieved for you. People didn't think she'd ever be happy again."

Asch tossed his head in exasperation. "Have you all gone mad? Get it through your head! It's not about what Natalia wants, it's about what will keep the nobility and the citizens happy. End of story."

"It's going to be me, then!" Luke blurted out. "The nobles who aren't fighting to have their own sons marry Natalia want me to, because I'm the closest living heir to the throne. Most don't even care that I was a replica at this point- they've decided that since I'm genetically identical to you, and you're dead, I can still fulfill your betrothal." He grinned ruefully. "It's not exactly the way I wanted replicas to be accepted."

Asch fought hard to keep his temper in check; he turned to look at the gravestones instead. This proved to be a mistake- although he knew what they said, he found that the letters were getting all confused in his head and he couldn't make sense of them. He stared at a point on the horizon just beyond them, instead. "Well," he said with forced calm, "that was always the plan, now, wasn't it? You didn't really think you were entitled to a choice, either, did you?"

Luke looked down at his feet. "I don't want to be king," he said at last. "Besides the fact that I wouldn't be any good at it, I like what I do now, traveling the world and getting to see old friends. I want to marry Tear and continue to do that." He gave Asch a thoughtful look. "I have to admit, that's part of why I was so happy you came back. I guess I thought that somehow you could help fix this mess."

"Do you really think a dog has any better chance of marrying the princess than a Malkuthian count?"

"Well," said Luke, and this time his smile was genuine, "you are Kimlascan." Asch was about to deliver his harshest rebuke yet when he saw the gleam in the other's eyes and realized he was joking. Instead, he started laughing, but it wasn't because of Luke's attempt at humor.

"What's so... funny?" Luke asked, alarmed. He couldn't recall ever hearing Asch laugh. It was actually rather disturbing.

"Karma," was all the setter said.

"Karma? What's that?"

"It's from an ancient religion, predating even the Score. I was badly injured during a mission to Mt. Roneal years ago- that's where all that scarring on my, or your, left side is from- and there wasn't much else to do while I recovered in Daath other than read. Basically, all of your actions, good and bad, form a thing called _karma_. When you die, if you're not good enough to move onto whatever's next, you get reborn, and your karma determines what you get reborn as." Now it was Asch's turn to smile ruefully, or at least as much as his canine countenance would let him. I guess this is payback for all of my sins as a man, huh?"

"Karma," Luke repeated, thinking it over. "That's an interesting concept- why did people abandon it?"

"Because the Score was more convenient. It's easier for people to believe their actions are predetermined rather than have to take responsibility for them."

"...Oh."

"Anyway," Asch said, slipping the sorcerer's ring over his head and letting it drop to the grass, _I'm out of here. I'm sure the council will settle this nonsense once and for all._

"That's it?" Luke asked incredulously as the setter walked away."You're just going to let them decide Natalia's future, and possibly mine, and you're not even going to object to it? Doesn't it bother you that I might marry her instead?"

_Of course it bothers me. But part of Natalia's duty as princess is to marry and provide an heir, and even you're better than Guy. You won the right to be Luke fon Fabre, now deal with it._

Luke gave him a dark look. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? In your own twisted way. It's like your own little revenge on everyone."

Asch turned and gave him a dangerous look. _You watch your tongue._

"You're still bitter because you think people forgot about you ten years ago, and you think that they forgot about you, and you think they've forgotten about you now." Luke started to raise his voice, and for the first time that evening he sounded angry. "Well, I'll let you in on a little secret- as terrible as I was before I found out I was a replica, everyone still put up with me. Why? Because they thought I was you, and nothing I did to make them hate me could overcome the love they felt for you."

_Shut up!_ Asch roared.

"And if you think you've been forgotten now, answer me this," Luke pressed on heedlessly, "Why would Natalia name the canine you after the human one, if you still didn't have a place in her heart? Do you have any idea how she looked, when I came back and she realized it was me, and how torn she was between being happy to see me and being heartbroken because I wasn't you? Did you know that a year after your death, she still cried for you? Doesn't it make you at all happy to see that she can smile again? Or are you always so busy feeling sorry for yourself that you can't stop and think about what other people feel?"

_I said shut up!_

But Luke couldn't stop, not now, as all of his frustration with his original released itself in one terrible flood. "Just because you can't be happy," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "doesn't mean nobody else should be."

With that his anger left him, and he instantly wished he could take back what he'd said, especially that last part, because Asch was staring at him with such fury that he felt the setter might attack him. He braced himself for an explosive reaction, but it never came. Asch just turned and walked away wordlessly, leaving the young noble standing by the graves, alone with his regrets.

Asch stormed off into the night, his mind reeling from all that had happened, both just now and earlier in the day. He was furious, but too overwhelmed to focus on anything in particular. Luke had his body, Guy had his Natalia, and Luke had had the gall to speak to him in such a way... and then there was the slipper...

He stopped dead in his tracks; it was as if a crucial piece of a puzzle had fallen into place. His inability to count the cards. The destruction of the slipper. The confusion with the gravestones. Suddenly, it all made sense, and he understood how truly terrible his fate was. Of course. It wasn't natural for a dog to possess human intellect- though reasonably intelligent creatures, they couldn't count or read, and they were prone to instinctive behaviors, such as chewing. Whatever allowed him to retain his human attributes in this form- whether an accidental by-product of the big bang or something more deliberate- was wearing off, and he was starting to become more like a real dog. Eventually, everything that had made him Asch the Bloody would probably fade away completely, leaving him just Asch the Red Setter, an ordinary dog with only memories of being something more. Assuming those didn't fade, too.

He laughed again, and it was a terrible sound, neither human nor canine. After all that, he was still going to disappear, after all, cursed by a fate even worse than death. Yes, he was definitely paying for his sins.

He made his way quietly back to Natalia's chambers, expecting her to be asleep. To his surprise, however, she was still awake, but instead of greeting him like she normally did, she held up the slipper she must have discovered shortly after he'd left. She gave him a long lecture, expressing her anger and disappointment with him, but Asch barely heard any of it, too numb to feel anything. When her reprimand was finished, he silently went to his bed in the closet and collapsed, embraced by the dark oblivion of a dreamless sleep.


	10. Revelation

Natalia was gone for the day by the time Asch awoke and emerged from the closet, but a plate of food was waiting for him near the door. Although he normally took his meals this way, given his behavior yesterday, he was mildly surprised to find it there- everything he ate came directly from Natalia's plate (King Ingobert had balked at Natalia's suggestion that her pet be fed the same quality of food as she did, asking her to think what the common people would think if they found out that a dog was eating better than she did. Natalia had countered that the cooks always cooked far too much for her, anyway, and wouldn't be a bigger scandal if people found out that the excess was just thrown away instead?)

After wolfing down his breakfast- the excitement of yesterday had caused him to miss dinner- he headed downstairs. He didn't have any place in particular to go and didn't really want to see anyone, but he knew that if he stayed in the room all day he'd just brood, and he wanted to find something that would keep him occupied for a bit.

Fortunately, there was plenty to of excitement that day; a fire had broken out at the abandoned factory, and while it was quickly contained before the entire building could explode, several mutated monsters had fled in panic and entered populated areas. These were also contained before they could do much damage, but King Ingobert, Natalia, and the royal council spent much of the day dealing with the aftermath as they assessed the damage and reassured frightened citizens that everything was under control. Natalia also used the incident to further impress upon the council that the factory was an environmental and safety hazard that needed to be cleaned up, although it wasn't until she threatened to take her bow and deal with it herself that they agreed to send out a survey team.

Aware that he was in the doghouse with Natalia, Luke, and Guy (and cringing at the figure of speech,) Asch was careful to avoid notice as he moved about the castle. This was not difficult, as Natalia was busy fighting with the council, Luke appeared only briefly to make a report, and Guy was nowhere to be found. By the afternoon, Asch began to lose interest as things wound down and he headed for the guards' break room; much interesting gossip could be overheard there, and Asch wanted to know how the meeting about Natalia's marriage had gone yesterday. Luke had seemed certain that it would turn out badly for Natalia and Guy, but although Asch also felt that that was the most likely outcome, he wanted to confirm it. Whatever had occurred, Natalia didn't seem to know about it, yet- the factory incident was keeping everyone too busy.

There were two guards in the break room when Asch entered, already in the middle of a conversation.

"He's cracked, I tell ya. Falkner over at the manor heard him arguing with himself just last night, by the gravestones." The guard who had spoken noticed Asch and frowned. "And he has an extremely bizarre fascination with Her Highness' pet. Spends lots of time with it, even claimed to be rehearsing a play with it!"

"Keep your voice down. You don't want anyone overhearing you say things like that." The second guard looked around nervously; Asch feigned interest in a piece of bread crust that had fallen to the floor.

"It's not that I have anything against Lord Fabre," the first guard said quickly. "The stress from all that traveling and the whole marriage mess must just be getting to him, poor guy."

Asch's ears perked up at the mention of marriage, but the guards were already leaving. He made a mental note to warn Luke to be more careful as he started back toward Natalia's chambers.

Natalia wasn't in her room, so he drew a bath for himself. When he clambered out of the tub, he instinctively shook out his fur before he realized what he was doing; water sprayed everywhere. With a sigh, he grabbed a towel in his mouth and cleaned up the mess as best he could, then returned to the main bedroom, stretching out in front of the window to dry in the sunlight. He wasn't used to having so much leisure time; both his childhood as a noble and his adolescence as a soldier had been filled with training and duties. It unnerved him, but he couldn't really do anything more until his fur dried.

_Just because you can't be happy doesn't mean nobody else should be._

How dare Luke make such an insinuation. Asch wanted nothing but the best for Natalia- which was precisely why he was against such an absurd idea as her union with Guy. The sooner she and Luke woke up to the reality of their situation, the less difficult it would be for both of them. It wasn't like Asch relished the prospect of Luke being with Natalia- in fact, he wasn't sure that he hated it any less than if it was Guy- but it wasn't like his opinion mattered, anyway. He rolled onto his back, exposing his belly fur to the sun. He was just a dog, as far as anyone who mattered was concerned, and, if his theory was correct, eventually he really would be just that. He found that thought strangely comforting- perhaps he'd forget his feelings for Natalia, and wouldn't feel sick at the very thought of her being with another man.

It was dark by the time Asch's fur had dried and a servant arrived with his evening meal, which she silently placed beside the door. He got up, stretching as he lamented that Natalia wasn't there to brush his fur- he'd always been fastidious about his hair- but it wasn't until he was halfway through his meal that he appreciated the significance of that. Natalia was usually the one who brought him his food- she rarely delegated any of his care to the staff, unless she was extremely busy. Although it was certainly possible that the factory incident was still keeping her occupied, something told him that it wasn't that. Curious, he went back downstairs.

It became immediately apparent that his hunch was correct; the tension of the servants was almost palpable. He peered into the audience hall, but neither Ingobert nor Natalia were there- just Alpine berating a soldier for what sounded like something frivolous. He next headed for the king's study; his keen ears picked up the conversation going on within long before he actually reached the door.

"My decision is final, Natalia. I've already spoken to Guy and we decided it best that he leave while we dealt with the factory accident, as I wanted to tell you afterward instead of distracting you from your duties. There is nothing more to discuss."

"But Father..."

"I _said _there is nothing more to discuss." Ingobert's tone softened as Asch reached the door and sat down beside it. "I'm sorry, Natalia, but the decision is not entirely yours or mine to make. The council and I discussed the matter at great length with all of the noble houses yesterday, and we have decided that this course of action is in the best interest of Kimlasca."

"The best interest of Kimlasca? The best interest of Murshel and all the other old blood that can't accept change, you mean!"

"Change is much more difficult than you make it out to be, Natalia," Ingobert said patiently. "Many families lost loved ones in the wars with Malkuth-"

"All the more reason for them to embrace peace!"

"-and some still stubbornly cling to the Score and its promise of prosperity, even though it is no more," Ingobert sighed.

"No one seemed to have a problem with the idea of Emperor Peony asking for my hand."

"Only because his proposal was largely symbolic- it's well known even among the Kimlascan nobility that the Emperor still holds out for his own forbidden love, much to the distress of his country," Ingobert sighed. "Natalia, my daughter, please don't be selfish. You accept all of the privileges of royalty. Accept with them all of the limitations."

There came a strangled sound from Natalia, a pause, then footsteps; Asch quickly drew back as the door was flung open and Natalia hurried out, Ingobert staring sadly but letting her go. Asch followed after her, almost having to run to keep up. Even so, the princess seemed determined to reach her quarters before anyone could see her, much less say anything to her, and she didn't seem to notice that Asch was behind her; she shut the door in his face. When he opened it, she was staring out the window into the night, her back to him. He approached her cautiously, gently nudging her leg with his nose to let her know he was there. She didn't take her eyes from the window, but her hand reached down and found his head; she gently pulled him closer.

"I suppose you heard what happened?" she asked, her voice oddly level. Asch gave a small whine of affirmation; he never did that, but without her looking at him, it was the only way he could communicate.

"I guess things worked out for you, didn't they? Now you'll have no competition for my attention, at least for the moment." She didn't say it accusingly, just in a matter-of-fact tone, but Asch recoiled as though struck. He stared at her, incredulous, but she still didn't turn; the hand that had been petting him stayed at her side.

"That wasn't fair of me. Father's right, you know- I'm being selfish. Just as I was with your namesake."

_What? _Shocked, Asch slowly approached her again. Although he made no sound, she seemed to sense where he was and her hand found him again; resting her palm on his head she stroked the silky fur of his ear.

"I tried to bind Asch to a promise and a life that he couldn't keep, with no thought to what he was feeling or what I was doing to him. He kept pushing me away, and I kept pursuing him- it wasn't until later that I bothered to learn why. He thought he was dying, you see, and wanted to spare me that heartache. He loved me that much, and I was just too blind to see it- all I did was hurt him that much more."

_No, _Aschthought, looking up at her pleadingly. _It wasn't like that. _Asch had distanced himself from her because of his imminent death, to be sure, but it had been as much for his sake as for hers. It had also been because of his stubborn refusal to face the damage done to his past- he had been Luke fon Fabre, and a change of name couldn't change the fact that he was still that person whom Natalia had loved, and who had supposedly loved her in return.

"I knew the challenges posed against a union between Guy and myself would be severe, even insurmountable, and that it would put a strain on the people of Kimlasca, but I allowed our relationship to continue, foolishly hoping that it would all just work out somehow. It wasn't fair to Guy, and it wasn't fair to Kimlasca. Now, I've hurt all of them, just as I hurt Asch." She finally looked down at Asch, and the setter was startled to see tears in her eyes. She smiled at him, as though trying to reassure him. "Could you leave me alone for a little bit? I just need to be by myself for a while," Asch just stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes, but even if he could have spoken to her he couldn't have found anything to say. He bowed his head respectfully, then slowly padded to the door. He turned back as he was about to leave, hoping that she might call him back, but she was staring out the window again. He walked out and silently closed the door behind him.

Once in the hall, Asch found his mind still a whirl of emotion. He agreed with Ingobert- for Natalia to marry Guy would be an impolitic and potentially dangerous course of action. Both Natalia and Guy had to have known it, and had chosen to continue with one another anyway. This outcome may have been sorrowful for them, but it was the safest and most logical one, and Asch had had nothing to do with it.

Why, then, did he feel so terrible about it?

As he made his way downstairs, he thought of Natalia, looking forlornly out of her window and crying for not just one, but two lost loves. She had made some poor choices, to be sure, but she was taking all the blame upon herself when others shared a great deal of it. Had he really wanted it to end this way? Politics aside, he had his own reasons for hating Guy, but apparently Natalia saw something different about him. None of that should matter, though. He had no right to tell her who to love, just as, in the end, no one really should.

He noticed the door to Ingobert's study was closed; apparently, the king was still inside, presumably contemplating the night's events and what had to happen next. An uncharacteristically illogical idea began to bud in Asch's mind, but he needed Luke before he dared think on it further. He reached out with his mind, but Luke was unresponsive. He suddenly got a glimpse of something as he unexpectedly connected with Luke's vision- Tear, staring lovingly into his eyes as they sat in what looked like the field outside of Baticul-

Asch quickly cut the connection. He didn't need or want to know what Luke was doing- what was important was that he was unable to help right now. Asch stared at the closed door to the study. Very soon, Ingobert would emerge and retire to bed, and that would most likely be the end of the matter.

With a sigh, Asch knew what he had to do.


	11. Redemption

The White Knights of Fabre manor took little notice of Asch as he squeezed his way through the gate, so familiar had the sight of him become. Indeed, they found it rather touching that Natalia had trained her pet to lay flowers upon Madame Fabre's grave, since she was too busy to do it herself (no one seemed to notice that she didn't do so for her former fiancée; Asch would have been offended if he'd known.) Luke wasn't there to let him into the manor, but the window to his room was open, catching the cool night breeze. Asch peered inside.

As Asch had hoped, Mieu was curled up on the bed, fast asleep and nauseatingly adorable. It wasn't the cheagle that interested him, however- it was the Sorcerer's Ring lying next to him that did. Slipping quietly through the window, he carefully picked the ring up in his teeth. Mieu's ear twitched as Asch withdrew from the room with his prize, but otherwise he didn't stir.

Flipping the ring onto his neck and concealing it as best he could with his fur, Asch left Fabre manor and made his way back to the castle. Part of him selfishly hoped that he was too late and that Ingobert had gone to bed, but the door to his study was still closed when he returned- the king did have a lot on his mind, after all. Asch was about to knock on the door when he remembered that he didn't have hands; a few minutes later, he was back with a good sized rock in his mouth. He knocked the rock against the door in a manner that hoped sounded passably enough like knuckles.

"Yes?" Ingobert's tired voice came from the other side. "What is it?"

"Uncle?" Asch replied, opting for a less formal manner than he normally would have taken, "It's me, Luke."

"Oh, Luke. I didn't expect you to call this late, but please, come in."

"With all due respect, Uncle, I'd rather not. I'm sick, and I don't want to get you sick, too" Asch began to cough a bit; unfortunately, the Sorcerer's Ring chose not to translate the sound into normal human coughing, resulting in a truly horrendous hack.

"Oh, my, Luke, you sound terrible. You should be resting."

"I need to talk to you, though. It's important. It's about Natalia."

"Luke," Ingobert said with renewed weariness, "I know you're worried about the betrothal, but I'll straighten it out for you" he sighed. "I should be able to do that much. The affairs of a viscount attract less interest than those of a princess."

"Um, thank you, Uncle, but that's not what I meant. I wanted to talk about Natalia, specifically, and Guy."

For a moment there was silence. "There's nothing to talk about, Luke. I've reviewed the situation and made my decision. I don't like it any more than you do, but that's the way things stand."

Asch thought for a moment. He would have to be extremely careful about what he said. "Uncle, may I ask you something? Ignoring everything else, do you, personally, have a problem with Natalia marrying Guy, a Malkuthian?"

The king was silent again as he thought. "I can't say that I'm entirely comfortable with the idea- even though our countries are on peaceful terms, some of that past animosity lingers even with me. But Guy has proven himself faithful and true- as a hero to the world, as your best friend, and as my daughter's love. If it were entirely up to me, then no, I wouldn't. But it's not- there are some things even a king can't just decide on his own."

"Uncle-"

"Luke, I know what you're going to say, and I'm afraid that it's just no use. Your father, Lord Teon and the younger nobility he represents, and even myself have argued it from every angle we can think of- that he's a hero, that he's a noble, that he's of Kimlascan blood-"

"Really?" Asch asked in surprise. Even he hadn't known that.

"Yes, on his mother's side. You know this all ready."

"Um, yes, of course. Sorry, I just forgot" Asch went into another fit of piteous fake coughing.

"Luke, you really need to go to bed, you're going to make yourself worse-"

"Who does your decision benefit?" Asch cut in. "You, Natalia, Kimlasca, Malkuth? Or the nobility of this country that should be setting the example?"

"What are you getting at?" Ingobert asked warily. Asch considered his next words carefully; relation or not, he was still addressing a king.

"What I'm saying is that as royalty, we need to lead our people into this new time of peace, not be chained to the past. And what better way to achieve that than by having a popular and beloved princess wed a Malkuthian hero? Guy's the perfect choice- he's not just some foreign suitor, he's as much a hero to Kimlasca as he is to Malkuth, and on top of that, he's even managed to forgive Kimlasca for the deaths of his family."

"Guy's history is one of the arguments used against him- there's concern that he hasn't given up his desire for revenge."

"You and I both know that's nonsense" Actually, Asch didn't; he was trusting to Natalia and Luke's judgment. It wasn't the most comforting feeling in the world, at least not as far as the latter was concerned.

"We do, but others don't. It certainly looks suspicious to those who don't know him, especially when the throne is at stake" Ingobert was sounding more and more impatient, and Asch was thinking this entire idea more and more stupid; he was unlikely to convince his uncle of anything Duke Fabre and Lord Teon (why did it have to be Teon?) couldn't. Especially when he was more inclined to agree with Ingobert than anything he himself was saying, anyway. He began to speak fast, giving the king no time to interrupt but barely giving himself time to think.

"Look, I know it won't be easy, but change never is, and it's long past time that things changed. The Hod War was- what? Twenty years ago now? Many of our people can't even remember that time- and they'll follow the lead of Princess Natalia, whom they loved enough to protect with their lives, before they'll follow the will of a bunch of self-centered lords that insist on living in the past."

There was a long silence after that, and Asch was sure he'd gone too far, especially with his criticism of the Kimlascan upper class. He'd always viewed them with disdain and occasionally loathing, but he'd been too well brought up as a noble himself to do so openly; he'd instead vowed never to be like them, dedicating his office to the betterment of Kimlasca instead of himself.

He was so lost in pondering the consequences of his thoughtlessness that Ingobert surprised him when he spoke, although his voice had become extremely soft. "Twenty-six years ago," the king said, "I sent a young Kimlascan noblewoman- her name was Eugenie Cecille- to wed a Count Gardios of Malkuth, as a gesture of peace. Six years later, I ordered your father to kill her along with the rest of House Gardios in an act of war. Now, the lone survivor of that betrayal wishes to marry into my family in a gesture of peace, and I see a chance to atone for my crime- but it means overcoming a lot of past prejudices, and trusting that Emperor Peony is a wiser ruler than I. I... I need to rest for the night. And so do you. Good night, Luke."

"Good night, Uncle," Asch said, puzzled by the king's response. There was nothing more to be said, though; he'd done what he could, whatever it might be worth. He padded off, coughing as he went (hoping that a little sympathy might help his case a bit) and headed to Fabre Manor to return the ring. Luke still wasn't back, and Mieu again didn't rouse- no one would ever know what he had done. At least that much had gone well.

When he returned to Natalia's room, he found her lying on her bed, fully clothed and looking as though she had simply flopped down and cried herself to sleep. The night had gotten cooler, and a breeze was coming through the window; after a moment's consideration, Asch searched around and found a light blanket, which he then took in his teeth and gently draped over her. He gazed at her a moment with a mix of tenderness, sorrow and pity, and while he did so he stopped wondering if he had done the right thing. It didn't matter; what did matter was that he'd done all that he could do for her, even if in the end it meant nothing. Then he found his own bed and flopped down, the day's bizarre events playing over through his mind until sleep took him.

He was so exhausted that he slept through Natalia's awakening and departure the next morning, and didn't rouse until she came bursting back through the door shouting. His old training instinctively took over; the commotion instantly brought him to attention and prepared to take on any threat, because nothing that awoke a soldier so suddenly ever meant well. But he wasn't a soldier and after a moment it became obvious that there was no threat; Natalia wasn't shouting if anger or fear. She seemed to be shouting for joy.

"Father reversed his decision!" she cried as he poked his head out of the closet. "He sent for me this morning and told me before he made a public statement. He's officially sanctioned a marriage between us!" And with that she grabbed up a stunned Asch in her arms, swinging him around in a hug before holding him at arms' length by his front paws, allowing him to balance on his hind legs and look directly into her eyes.

"I don't know what happened," she said. "He just said that after thinking it over he'd had a change of heart and that he didn't want to miss a chance to make up for past wrongdoings. He said he'd support me in gaining the acceptance of the people and in ensuring that no opposed nobles create trouble. I really can't believe it!" She lowered Asch onto all fours and practically danced about the center of the room.

Asch just smiled at her, and even favored her with some wagging of his tail (something he never did), completely hiding the mixed emotions he felt. He couldn't believe his crazy idea had worked; on the one hand, seeing Natalia so joyful made him genuinely happy- something he couldn't remember feeling in ten years. On the other, this turn of events meant lots of difficulties lay ahead- even with the king's blessing, there was always a chance that the Kimlascan people would never accept the decision; although unlikely, in a worse case scenario they could even revolt. Along with both these feelings was a third- a strange sadness grew in him as he watched his childhood love. This really was it- she was going to marry someone else. He thought he had accepted this inevitability when he chose to abandon his old identity, but it was only now that he was faced with its reality that it finally hit him. All of her ties to him and his unfulfilled promise were broken; she was now someone else's fiancée. It was true that she had loved him, just as surely as he loved her, but she had finally moved on. He needed to do the same.

Still bubbling with astonished delight and already making plans, Natalia headed downstairs, Asch following, as they prepared to set upon the enormous amount of work ahead of them.


	12. Preparations

The castle was a whirl of activity! Instead of the tense and uncomfortable atmosphere brought about by the events of the past couple of days, however, this was a happy bustling; even Alpine seemed torn between disapproving of this unorthodox decision and wanting to join in the celebration. Asch was initially surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction, but then decided that, as far as the staff was concerned, happy royalty made better employers than unhappy ones.

One of the first things the king did was send out the quickest messengers to intercept Guy on his way back to Grand Chokmah and inform him of his change in fortune. Ingobert had made no public statement one way or another, but Duke Fabre and Luke had privately received the news that morning, and Luke had come to the castle to congratulate Natalia and help with the preparations. The lords had left the meeting the day before last feeling certain that the marriage would be forbidden; Ingobert was planning on correcting their misconceptions with a formal announcement later in the day (or, as Luke more colorfully put it, he'd "tell those old fossils where to shove it.")

After eating breakfast together (no one objected to Asch's presence in the dining room), Natalia hurried off to attend to her duties, composing herself as one would expect of someone of her rank (though she still had a twinkle in her eye) Asch, hoping to gauge better the consequences of his actions the night before, took to wandering the castle with open ears. He entered the audience chamber shortly after Luke had arrived and exchanged greetings with the king.

"You look like you're feeling much better, Luke," Ingobert said. "You sounded so terrible last night- that coughing really made me understand the saying 'sick as a dog.'"

"Um..." Luke looked utterly confused.

_Just go with it. I'll explain later, _Asch said as he walked by, having no intention of doing so. He promptly left, just as he heard Luke say, "Oh, uh, yeah, it must have been a twenty-four hour flu or something..."

Beyond that, though, Asch's eavesdropping uncovered nothing of particular interest. Guy actually seemed to be pretty popular among the castle employees, especially the female ones. Asch wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that, but he took it as a good sign that at least here Natalia would not encounter any problems.

Guy was retrieved and arrived back at the castle late that night; he entered the audience room still in his traveling clothes, looking as gallant as any prince and with a deep, adoring look as his eyes immediately found Natalia. Forgoing all customary royal greetings, she jumped down from her seat and leaped into his arms, crying with joy as he held her tightly. Asch quietly excused himself to go be sick in private.

The next few days went by quickly, with many things happening. King Ingobert formally announced the marriage of Princess Natalia Kimlasca-Lanvaldear to Count Gailardia Galan Gardios. The general reaction of the citizenry was one of surprise but actually quite positive; it seemed that Asch had inadvertently been correct when he'd attempted to convince Ingobert that Natalia's popularity would outweigh any lingering feelings of hostility. He had a feeling that Luke, Duke Fabre and all of the other supportive nobility were using their influence to encourage such feelings and prevent opposing nobles from seeding dissent. Asch was still worried about that most of all, but despite some grumblings there didn't seem to be much anyone could do against the will of the royal family _and_ the people. Meanwhile, at the castle, plans were being made for the various celebrations leading up to the wedding and, of course, arrangements had to be made for the wedding itself. Asch tried to distance himself from all of this; there really wasn't anything for him to do, and just being around it made him increasingly uncomfortable. He was actually somewhat relieved when Luke contacted him via their link one day, wanting to meet with him that evening. They met at the usual spot, just behind Fabre manor.

"Hey, guess what?" Luke said as he approached, beaming.

_Kind of hard for me to guess when you don't even give me so much as a greeting, _Asch commented, although the remark lacked the bite his conversations with Luke had once held.

"Heh, oh, sorry," Luke chuckled, still smiling. "But didn't you hear? Uncle just gave Tear and me the okay!"

_Really? _Aschhadn't heard anythingabout that, but then, he'd been more focused on outside opinion and avoiding the wedding planning than anything else.

"Yeah- we're keeping it pretty low-key right now, but everyone's too focused on Natalia and Guy to even notice, anyway. Uncle basically said that he couldn't allow their marriage without allowing ours, too, although we're going to wait until some of the craziness settles down before we plan anything more definite. But the important thing is, we're finally going to be able to!"

_I guess congratulations are in order, then, _was all Asch said. They hadn't really spoken since their argument the week before.

"Thanks," replied Luke. With Asch, acknowledgment that a positive reaction was called for was as good as actually giving it- or at least as close as he was going to get. That was why the setter's next words were so surprising:

_I'm happy for you._

"What? Really?" Luke knew he couldn't have heard that right.

_Would I have said it if I didn't mean it? _Asch snapped irritably, looking away and sounding like he already regretted saying anything.

Luke just stared, unsure of what to say. He thought back to their previous conversation, when he had accused Asch of taking pleasure in everyone else's misfortune, and how everything had worked out for everyone- except for Asch. After a moment's thought, he sat down on the grass next to him. Asch turned his head slightly, then seemed to think better of it; his gaze stubbornly maintained a point somewhere in the distance, opposite his companion.

"It must be hard for you," Luke said.

_Save your pity, _was the immediate response.

Luke considered. "I'm sorry for what I said the other night. It wasn't fair. I know you only want the best for Natalia, and even me, too." He prepared for the inevitable backlash of anger that his apology would bring, even though he'd felt it necessary to assuage both his guilt and any Asch might have felt, but his former original seemed to be missing some of his old fire; he just _huffed_ in irritation.

_I'm going to need you to look after Natalia for me,_ he said at last.

"Huh?"

_I'm leaving. I've put it off long enough, but as soon as I'm sure Natalia's taken care of, I'm out of here. _He finally turned to look at Luke, daring him to protest, but Luke just gave him a sad smile.

"Okay," he said softly, "I understand." He sighed. He'd have liked nothing more than for Asch to stay with them, but that was a selfish thought; he had no right to keep him here, where everything must be a torturous reminder of who he had been and what he had lost. Part of him had expected this almost the moment he'd learned of his return. "Let me know when you plan on leaving, though. There's something I want to give you before you go." He started to get up. "One more thing," he said.

_What is it?_

"Natalia can take care of herself pretty well, and she'd have nothing to do with Guy if he meant her any harm. Whatever you might think of Guy, he does love her. She'll be fine." With that, he started back for the manor, leaving Asch to his thoughts.

Asch wanted to believe Luke that things would be all right, but hard experience still left him reluctant to trust anyone's judgment but his own. He headed back to the palace. He had to know for himself.

Guy was staying in the nicest guest quarters the royal palace had to offer,which were usually reserved for ambassadors of the highest order. It was fairly late, and he knew that he should be sleeping, as tomorrow promised to be just as busy as the days before, but every time he thought of Natalia and the glorious surprise of their marriage he felt energized all over again. He was sitting at the desk, going over it all in his mind as he had every night prior. Who would have ever thought that he, a Malkuth noble orphaned by Kimlasca, would come seeking vengeance but ultimately fall in love with none other than the Kimlascan princess? It sounded like some sort of fairy tale- of course, you had to leave out all the stuff in between about replicas, Sephiroth Trees, the Qliphoth, the miasma and saving the worldso perhaps it wasn't much like a fairy tale, after all. Still, it was an outcome no one could have foreseen, especially the part where King Ingobert actually sanctioned such an unlikely union!

Guy sighed, his mood dampened somewhat as he remembered the consequence of marrying a princess. All of this meant that someday he'd be a king, a thought which, contrary to popular belief, he did not relish one bit. He wasn't sure that he was kingly material, although Natalia repeatedly assured him otherwise. Still, it was an unfortunate but necessary side-effect of marrying Natalia, and he'd willingly bear it so long as it meant that he could be with her.

He smiled slightly as his tired mind started to wander into more outlandish territory. There had been rumors for some time now that Peony, lacking any heirs or close relations who could claim the throne, had been considering naming Guy his successor. Of course, those were only rumors, and completely unfounded- Guy wasn't even sure that that was possible- but it was fun to imagine that if it were true, Guy would inherit Malkuth, andNatalia would inhereit Kimlasca.To think, Kimlasca and Malkuth, after so many years of strife, united as one by none other than Natalia and himself...

An odd scratching at the door brought him back to the present. "Is someone there?" he asked.

The scratching came again. "Yes?" he asked warily, noting that the door was unlocked. He'd left it that way as a sign of good will- a sort of symbolic way of showing that he had nothing to hide.

Apparently, whoever was scratching up the door had also figured this out; with a _click, _the door swung open, and before Guy could fully rise from his seat his four footed visitor had walked into the room and shut the door with a hind foot.

"Hello, Asch," Guy said, staring at him uncertainly and remembering their last encounter, but Asch didn't seem interested in ripping him to pieces this time- instead, he made a beeline for the nearest chair, jumped up, and swung around to face Guy with the most piercing gaze the young noble had ever received from a man orbeast.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, feeling strangely unnerved. The severity with which this animal was staring at him should have been amusing for being so human-like, but he found it a little _too _human- it was actually rather eerie. Asch just continued to stare, as if he were looking straight into his soul and analyzing what he saw.

"Are you worried about Natalia?" Guy ventured, feeling silly for asking but desperate to break this stand-off.

Asch blinked.

"Do you think I'm not good enough for her?" he asked lightly, trying to remind himself that it was just a dog he was talking to.

Asch snorted and curled his lip slightly, then resumed his neutral pose.

Guy forced himself to relax, convinced that at least another attack was not imminent. "Look, I know you don't think much of me, and that you love her and want to protect her, but please trust me when I say that I love her and want to protect her, too. Can you do that?" As he said it, he found himself meeting those emerald eyes with his sapphire ones, and sensed a furious activity behind them, although he never could have imagined just what was going on in that mind- the struggle to believe someone who had betrayed him so badly, to trust Luke and Natalia when they said that this time it was genuine, that it was okay to trust Guy this time, too. They were all asking a lot of him, too much, really. Asch was about to reject Guy's entreaty- then he remembered when Guy had returned and met Natalia in the audience chamber,the way he had looked at her... It was the way Asch might have looked at her, if things had been different for them. With an inward sigh, he nodded his head, and Guy realized with surprise that he'd been accepted. Asch silently jumped down from the chair and opened the door. Before he left, however, he turned back and shot Guy one last, fierce look that needed no Sorcerer's Ring to translate:

_Do anything to hurt her, and I'll kill you._

With that, he was gone, shutting the door again behind him.

"Glad we had this talk, Asch," Guy said to the empty room, wondering what the hell just happened. He shook his head."I really need to get some sleep..."


	13. Goodbyes

Preparations continued for the next few days as definitive plans began to take shape. A royal banquet was to be held in two weeks' time, and the more Asch heard of it, the more ridiculous it became. Natalia was planning a surprise makeover for Tear, who had nothing more formal than her uniform to wear and was obviously too shy (or too clueless) in these matters to do anything about it on her own. Teodoro and the other Watchers were upset that Daath had been chosen to host the wedding itself, despite the fact that Yulia City was nowhere near large enough to accommodate such an event, and they were placated only when Luke and Tear announced their intent to hold their smaller, more private wedding ceremony there. Emperor Peony was adding to the chaos by insisting on attending the banquet, despite continual advisements from Ingobert, Guy, and councilors from both countries that, for the moment at least, it was a bad idea for the two rulers to be in the same place off of neutral ground. He relented only on the condition that Jade act as his eyes, ears, nose, mouth and any other senses that might be required to satisfy a list of the things that he was most interested in knowing about the feast. (There was no word on how Jade felt about being assigned this task.) The emperor had also promised, as a wedding gift, the pick of Nephry's litter (it took a moment for everyone to realize that the rappig was meant,) just as soon as he figured out which of his other pets was the father. (Given the names of the other rappigs, there was no word on how Jade felt about this, either.) Guy was back in Malkuth temporarily to ensure that all went well on that side of things, as well as to help plan Malkuth's celebrations.

As increasingly frivolous as the activity about him was becoming, Asch couldn't bring himself to be annoyed or sad; indeed, he felt rather indifferent to everything. He had even grown distant from Natalia, no longer greeting her when she entered a room or accompanying her when he could on various errands. He rationalized that there was no point in encouraging her fondness of him if he would be leaving; as it was, he regretted the hurt she would feel at his sudden disappearance, although he had decided that in the end it was best if she forgot about Asch entirely- of which his presence was a constant reminder. If any part of him knew the truth, that he was really running away again to protect himself, he stubbornly refused to acknowledge it.

He would have been gone already if Luke didn't keep insisting, via their link, that he wait until the "big surprise" was ready for him. After a few days, Asch began to suspect that this was just a delaying tactic, and said as much, until Luke promised that he only needed two days more, right before he himself had to leave on business. Asch had reluctantly agreed, if only to help ensure that Luke stayed out of his head once he was gone- although the range of their telepathy seemed to be decreasing along with the Seventh Fonons.

He wasn't sure that he'd survive for even another two days, though Natalia had taken note of his recent behavior.

"He's jealous, Your Highness. Dogs get that way when someone new enters their master's life," Alpine had counseled, upon hearing of her concerns. All the recent talk of Kimlasca's future had reminded him that his future relied on staying in the good graces of the royal heirs, and he decided to take a fatherly approach to Natalia- even if she already had a perfectly good father. "Why, my father once had a small white lap dog, and he told me that when I was born, that little thing would bark its head off whenever it found itself in the same room with me and became snappish and irritable toward everyone!"

"What did your father do?" Natalia asked politely.

"He had it stuffed. I believe I inherited it as part of his estate," Alpine replied, and Natalia reminded herself never to ask him anything about himself ever again. She did, however, agree that he was probably correct about the jealously; after all, Asch had always seemed to particularly dislike Guy, and he'd started becoming standoffish immediately after the announcement of the marriage. She vowed, therefore, to do everything possible to let Asch know that she still loved him and that he wasn't being replaced. She doted on him every chance she got, personally served him the choicest cuts of meat and other delicacies, and brushed his fur so thoroughly that Asch began to worry it would fall out. He knew that her intentions were good and that she couldn't possibly know how much harder it would make it for both of them, but he was more than glad when two days passed and his final appointment with Luke arrived.

_Well? _he greeted Luke sourly as they met again behind the manor. _This had better be worth my time. I should have been gone days ago._

"I'd have arranged it sooner, but it'll only really work tonight," Luke said, choosing to ignore Asch's attitude. If things went as planned, he hoped that tonight might help the setter to improve it- assuming it didn't end up making things worse. "Before I tell you about it, though, I should probably warn you that I'm not entirely sure it'll work. Mieu and I were talking and-"

_Mieu? You asked the cheagle for advice? _Asch asked scornfully, noticing that the little blue creature was standing nearby, respectfully silent but listening intently.

"Well, yeah. Nobody else knows, so who else would I ask?"

_Just tell me what this is about, already, _Asch snapped. He really knew he should be grateful to Luke, who was doing whatever he was doing for his benefit, but after all that had happened his limited patience had completely run out, and he had to admit that being angry was better than the apathy he'd felt for the past few days.

"Okay," Luke said quickly. "Here's the plan..."

_This is crazy, _Asch said after Luke had explained it. _It'll never work. _

"You don't have to do it," Luke replied. "I'll go to her myself, and it'll all be fine. But... this is probably the last chance you'll ever have. I wanted to give you that chance."

Asch seemed to be thinking, and Luke was sure that he'd refuse- he'd been foolish to even offer what he was offering now, as he had just put Asch into an awkward position.

Finally, Asch turned to face him, and it seemed to Luke that some of his old fire had returned, but with a different quality to it this time.

_All right. Let's do this._

He walked in the light of a full moon, but the night still seemed dark, much darker than he'd become accustomed to. Indeed, everything seemed stranger than it ought to have; he'd never appreciated how difficult it was to walk on only two legs, how disturbing a virtually scentless world was, or how it could make up for that by being so colorful- although the gloom bled most of it away, there was just enough light for him to tell that the stray bangs which occasionally fell into his field of vision were red, a hue he thought he'd never see again.

He crested the hill that looked over the picnic field, and there she was, just as Luke said she'd be, the moonlight making her seem to glow. He continued toward her, careful to keep his stride natural, resisting the urge to brush the bangs from his eyes. He'd considered slicking them back, like he used to, but that would be too obvious; he'd had to borrow Luke's identity along with his body in order to do this. Luke was with him even then, unable to completely relinquish his body to its former owner, but his personality was dormant, affording his guest as much privacy as he could.

Natalia stared at him with a mix of confusion and curiosity as he approached. Luke had asked her to meet him here before he left, which was an odd request, though not so odd that Luke couldn't have talked his way through it had things not worked out. He stopped before her, and they just stared at each other; he knew that he should greet her, or say _something, _but at that moment he wasn't even sure who he was or who he was supposed to be, and he feared that any words might betray him.

"Luke," she said, deciding his name for him. He couldn't remember being called that in a decade. But which Luke was he right now?

"Natalia," he replied somewhat lamely, reluctant to speak but knowing he had to say something.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked uncertainly, forcing the reins of the conversation into his hands.

"I... just wanted to say goodbye before I left." It was true enough, just not in the way she'd interpret it as being.

"And you had to meet me here to say that?" There was no anger or annoyance in her voice, just more confusion. He had to think quickly.

"Well, I also wanted to congratulate you. On the marriage. I wanted to meet here because... well, we haven't had a chance to just talk, with all the preparations and stuff going on. It's peaceful here, and I thought we could both use a little peace." Where was that cool, confident attitude with which Asch the Bloody had spoken to her in Sheriden? Why was this suddenly so hard?

"That's for sure," she said, smiling. She gazed up at the sky, where many stars still managed to shine with their own radiance despite the moon's brighter but borrowed glow. "It's very beautiful out," she said.

"Yeah," he agreed, and they just stood there in silence, eyes upon the heavens, and he decided that just standing there by her side at this moment was enough for him, and that he could leave Baticul with a contented heart.

"Can I ask you something?" she said, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Sure," he replied, surprised.

"Do you think what I'm doing is right? Is it okay for me to marry Guy?"

"How do you mean? You love him, don't you?" What could be troubling her?

"Yes, of course I do. It's just... I feel like I'm betraying Asch."

"Your dog?"

"No," she replied, smiling briefly at his naivety before her expression became grave and sad once more. "The human Asch."

Oh, Lorelei. How had such a wonderful evening come to this?

"Natalia, Asch is dead," he said. "He can't possibly keep his promise to marry you, and he wouldn't expect you to keep yours."

"I know, it's a stupid thought. And I do love Guy. But I feel guilty for loving Guy, as if... as if..." Suddenly, she burst into tears, and he instinctively put his arms around her consolingly, protectively, as she released all the emotions she'd held back for so long.

"Natalia, let me tell you something," he said softly into her ear, when her initial wave of tears had subsided. "I... connected with Asch on Eldrant shortly before he died. There were things he wanted me to tell you, if it ever came to this."

"What?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He didn't look away.

"He said that he loves you, that he always has and he always will, and he's sorry for the foolish things he did, things that he thought he was doing for you but that he really did for himself, and that just ended up hurting you instead. He's also sorry that he couldn't keep his promise to you, but he expects you to still carry on without him, to marry, to be happy, and to change this country just as you promised him you would. If you do all of that, then his sacrifices will not have been in vain, and he can be at peace. Do you understand?"

Natalia's eyes went wide with wonder. "He said all of that?"

"And he meant every word of it."

"Oh, Asch, oh Luke," she said, and she just rested against him as he continued to hold her, and he realized that it wasn't Viscount Luke fon Fabre she was talking to, but the other Luke fon Fabre, her Luke fon Fabre, and that just by resting in his arms right now she somehow knew the difference; after so many years of feeling abandoned and unneeded, that revelation lifted something from his heart that had weighed it down ever since that day ten years ago. But then the moment passed- a sudden weakness in his left arm reminded him that he couldn't stay like this; that even if he wanted to and if Luke were willing to, the Seventh Fonons were too weak for him to stay in this body indefinitely. He had to go back, and face his new life while Natalia moved on with hers.

"It's getting late," he said.

"I know," she said, looking up at him as if she'd just awoken from a dream. She suddenly looked embarrassed. "People might get the wrong idea if they saw us like this."

"Yeah," he said with a smile, hoping the moonlight didn't illuminate the sad tinge to it. "Let's head back." Reluctantly, they parted, and he turned, and started walking back toward Baticul.

"I'd like to say here by myself for a few minutes, if that's all right," she said.

"Of course it is. I'll say my goodbye here, then."

"All right. You know, it's strange."

"What is?"

"I know that you're just going away for a week, but it feels like... this is goodbye forever."

He sighed, not sure what to say to that. "It doesn't matter how long people are apart, because as long as they're with you in your memories and in your heart, they'll always be with you. Just like Asch. Okay?" Seeing the puzzlement on her face, he smiled reassuringly and said, "Luke fon Fabre will return. I promise." He felt that weakness in his arm again; it seemed to be spreading. He had to go, and now. He waved, and started off as quickly as he could without looking rushed. Natalia stared after him, still wondering why she was so sad to watch him leave.

"Goodbye, Luke."

Asch reached his body just as he was finally starting to lose all control over Luke's. Luke fell to the ground, coming to his senses just in time to throw out his hands so he didn't fall flat on his face. Asch's canine form, lying still in the grass as Mieu kept watch, twitched as it became inhabited once more.

"Well?" Luke asked, once he had started to orient himself, "Did it go well?"

_Yeah, _Asch replied, also regaining his bearings.

"I won't ask any more, then."

Both of them stood up and regarded each other.

"I've got to get going," said Luke. "The Albiore's waiting at the port for me."

_You're leaving tonight? I thought you were going in the morning._

"It's the time difference between here and Malkuth. Besides, I think technically it is morning now." He looked at the cheagle. "Come on, Mieu, I've got to get you back to your Woods." Mieu obediently hopped into his accustomed item bag, giving Asch one last shy wave before disappearing completely.

_I guess this is goodbye for us, too, then._

"Yeah," said Luke. They both looked away.

_Luke?_

"Yes?"

_Thanks. _

"Don't mention it." As one, they turned backto face each other.

"Will you come with me to the port?"

_It's better if you're not seen with me right before I go missing. I know some footpaths leading down the crater- too small for adult humans, so no one worries about them, but just large enough for a young boy or a dog to make it down._

"Oh. Okay." For a moment, there was silence. "You take care of yourself, Asch."

_You, too, Luke._

With that, they turned away, each walking in the opposite direction until the shadows swallowed them both.


	14. Deadly Intentions

The old footpaths were more or less as he remembered them from his childhood, although time had eroded them somewhat and Asch had to be extra careful about his footing. Once he'd descended the cliff, he sought the nearest road and set a brisk pace away from Baticul. He almost looked back once, then thought better of it and continued on until the capital city was lost to the darkness.

Well, that was that. His time in Baticul had been strange, sometimes even pleasant, but it was over now. Natalia was well taken care of, and through her so was Kimlasca, especially with people like Luke and Guy at her side. She wouldn't notice him missing right away, as he'd been known to wander whenever he got bored, but after a day or two she'd start to worry and go looking for him. As more days passed, she'd get more desperate, but as days turned into weeks her desperation would gradually fade into acceptance as she realized that her Asch had left her once again. He felt another pang of remorse for the pain it would cause her, especially when this should be the happiest time of her life, and for a moment he wondered if he should have waited until after the wedding. No- he'd made his choice, and he was sticking to it.

He stopped. That was right- he'd chosen to leave this time. He wasn't going to blame it on Van or Luke or the Score or anything else- this had been his decision, and he was responsible for it. He was going to start his life anew, instead of living in the past.

He smiled to himself as he continued. Peony was giving Natalia a rappiglet, so it wouldn't be long before the void left by this departure was also filled. Asch had never had a pet and still didn't get people's fascination with them; an animal was just another thing to put a large investment of time, gald and love into, only to be paid back with heartbreak when it inevitably died. Being one hadn't much changed his opinion on the matter. In any case, he could finally leave his old life behind for good with no regrets.

He followed the road for the rest of the night and rested by day under the roots of an old tree, digging out a temporary den. He planned to keep along the road until he was out of Kimlasca; he didn't quite trust his canine navigational skills yet, although he knew that he'd have to start learning soon. Traveling at night ensured that he wouldn't encounter any people who might recall seeing him once Natalia began searching for leads.

As dusk fell, Asch roused and began to scout for food. He found a bush with edible berries- not particularly satisfying, but enough to keep him going for a bit. He'd have to do something about the food situation quickly, though; he wasn't going to come crawling back to civilization half starved for a second time. He'd have to start training and honing his instincts if he was to become an effective canine hunter and live truly wild, but there didn't seem to be anything small enough to be considered potential prey nearby. Weaker monsters probably avoided the roads, so he might not find much until he started going cross-country...

An odd whiff suddenly caught his attention- a flowery smell, lavender to be exact, but with a sickening, artificial tinge to it. He remembered smelling it somewhere before -no one could forget a stink like that- but it took him a few minutes to place it; it was the perfume worn by one of the nobles that had been present at the castle that day they'd met about Natalia's marriage.

The scent grew stronger as he continued down the road; apparently, that same person had been traveling on it not too long before. As he continued on, something else bothered Asch about the smell, and then it hit him- it was alone. There were no mingled scents of servants or wagons or beasts of burden; the nobleman had been by himself. That was highly unusual; nobles almost always traveled in disproportionately large processions, as it made them feel important. The freshness of this trail also meant that it had been made earlier that night, which was more puzzling.

Asch's military training had long ago taught him to be wary of anything out of the ordinary, as it rarely meant anything good. When the scent suddenly veered off the main road onto a barely discernible side path, he was sufficiently curious to follow it. It probably wouldn't amount to anything that would concern him, but there had to be a pretty good reason for a perfume-soaked nobleman to be traveling alone in the dead of night.

The path that Asch's nose led him down had been abandoned for some time; where ever it had once led to, no one came or went there anymore, and now that it lacked purpose it had been left to the mercy of nature, which had begun to reclaim it. Asch knew that there was an allegory for life in general to be found in the road's sad fate, but he was too intent on tracking his current quarry to chase after it. He had to admit, the canine nose was quite a wonderful thing. He'd always tried to ignore it as much as possible, for it could easily tell him more about a person than a polite human being had any business knowing, but now that he was no longer so worried about being human he felt free to enjoy this powerful tool. It was too bad that he was using it to follow such an obnoxious fake lavender smell.

His nose took him to what looked like an old campsite for travelers, with a place to build a fire and shelter near an old well. It would have been abandoned, just like the road, were it not for the fact that Asch had not been the first to arrive here tonight- in fact, the previous visitors were still there. Asch instinctively ducked out of sight into the brush when he saw the two silhouettes, and proceeded cautiously. It took only a moment to identify the taller of the two men as the noble he'd been trailing, though he was now wearing a traveling cloak and a sword; the other was a stranger who had apparently come from a different direction. They were in the middle of a conversation.

"...venom came from a species of dragon that's now extinct," the stranger was saying. "In fact, this may have been taken from the very last specimen. Even Seventh Fonists can't treat it."

"How is that possible if the healer can neutralize the poison outright?" the perfumed noble asked. "How does it get around that?"

"Ah," the other man replied. "I'm impressed- most don't care how it works. Once it enters the body, it silently begins to damage the organs- by the time it's detected, the internal damage is too great for fonic artes to heal, and the victim will die in agony." The man laughed. "As you can imagine, this makes it one of the most dangerous poisons on Auldrant."

"It had better be, for what I'm paying for it," the noble growled.

Asch could just see the strange man- apparently some sort of apothecary- grin in the gloom. "That does make me a bit curious now, I must admit. There are many lesser poisons to be bought for much less gald- you must really want someone dead if you're willing to pay for the venom of _Euchambersia mirabilis_. Someone with constant access to a fonic healer."

"That's none of your business."

"Of course it's not. I suspect I'll know soon enough, though."

"What do you mean?" the lord asked warily.

"Oh, come now. Do you think I'm blind? A nobleman comes to me not even a week before a divisive royal celebration asking for poison that'll thwart fonic healing? When the princess is well known for her fonic healing skills?"

"How dare you- I should kill you right now!" The lord's hand moved to the hilt of his sword.

"Like I didn't expect you to off me once the job was done, anyway," the other man continued. "Tie up loose ends and all that. Well, I'll tell you something, you're not being half as clever as you think you're being, if I could figure this out. I'm using this money to disappear after this, and if you're smart, you'll leave it at that."

The nobleman glared angrily at the poison seller, but relaxed the grip on his sword.

His companion smiled smugly. "So," he said, "who is it, exactly? The Malkuthan count, I assume?"

The lord hesitated, but with his plan known there wasn't a point to keeping it secret."No. Were anything to befall Gardios, the Kimlascan nobility would immediately come under suspicion. This poison is meant for the fraud who calls herself Princess Natalia." He had the satisfaction of watching the smug expression of the apothecary's face melt into surprise. He hadn't figured _everything_out, after all.

"But... why her?"

"If the Kimlascan 'princess' is murdered, Gardios and Malkuth will become the prime suspects instead. Not only will Kimlasca not suffer the indignity of having Malkuth on its throne, but relations between the countries will deteriorate back to what they should be- enemies."

"Why would you want that?"

The nobleman sighed; it was a surprisingly sad sound. "My oldest son was killed in the Hod War," he said. "Like all men of our line, he served loyally as an officer. Two and a half years ago, my second and youngest son, also an officer, was killed in the brief conflict between Kimlasca and Malkuth. Strange, isn't it? The fighting was so brief that they don't even call it a proper war, yet he's dead all the same." He paused for a moment before continuing. "My oldest was too young to have yet married, and m**y** youngest had no sons. When Malkuth took them from me, it took my name with them." His sorrow suddenly gave way to contempt. "I was willing enough to let that lowborn tramp pretend to be royalty, but I will not let her mock my sons or my name by handing this country over to their murderers!"

Asch, who had been steadily creeping closer through the brush, had heard more than enough. This plot, like its conspirators, wasn't leaving the campsite. His cover ran out a few meters before the spot where the two men were standing, so he'd have to time his assault carefully to maintain the element of surprise when he made a rush at them. His primary target was the nobleman, who was armed with the sword; he didn't intend to let the apothecary live, either, but Natalia wouldn't be endangered further if he escaped. Focused on the nobleman, he didn't notice that the apothecary's shrewd eyes had been focused in his direction for some time, even as the lord had been speaking.

He was about to charge forward when the apothecary suddenly flung something into the air, arcing it so that it landed almost perfectly at Asch's front feet. Asch barely had time to note that it looked like a canister of some sort before white gas started to hiss out of it; immediately his eyes and nose began to burn as it quickly engulfed him. He lunged forward, but he couldn't see anything through the gas now, couldn't even breathe... the two men were shouting, but it sounded distant... his legs were starting to feel numb...couldn't breathe...

Asch came to slowly, at first only dimly aware that he was even alive. For a few minutes he couldn't even feel his body; finally, enough sensation returned that he could sense that he was laying on his side. He opened his eyes wearily and found that one was facing dirt and the other a sky streaked with the first rays of morning. Unsure of where he was, he slowly lifted his head to look around, breathing deeply to try to clear his hazy thoughts. He was beside a road, near a well...

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened. Those two men, plotting to murder Natalia! He bolted to his feet, but that proved to be a mistake; with a curse, he flopped back down as his legs gave out. It didn't matter, anyway- it was clear that those two were long gone. Although they had doubtless seen that their uninvited company was only a dog, the interruption had likely shaken them enough that they had left immediately, leaving him for dead.

He tried to rise again, more carefully, this time staggering forward drunkenly for a few steps before falling over again. Furious, he nonetheless forced himself to lie down for a few minutes, letting sensation fully return to his legs.

This was all his fault. If he hadn't been so stupidly sentimental, the marriage would have never been allowed to happen and Natalia wouldn't be in such danger. He should have trusted his instincts instead of listening to Luke and trying to make people happy by doing foolish things.

More confident about his legs this time, he stood up again, and took a few slow, careful steps. When he didn't fall this time, he began to search the area. Berating himself didn't matter right now- what did matter was finding those two would**-**be murderers and putting an end to their plan. Unfortunately, the gas had confounded his nose, covering up all other scents; he couldn't even smell the lavender perfume anymore. After several minutes' fruitless sniffing, it became clear that he wouldn't be able to determine which way they had gone.

_Luke!_He called out mentally several times, but received no response- Luke was apparently out of range of their weakening link. Fighting back panic, Asch turned toward the direction of the main road. It was clear that he couldn't do anything more out here. That left only one choice.

He had to get back to Baticul.


	15. A Change of Plans

"The Colonel will see you now, Lord Fabre," said the secretary, a nervous looking young man with the insignia of a Malkuthan NCO. "

Thank you," Luke replied with a reassuring smile. The secretary seemed new to his post and intimidated by all the strange rumors that surrounded his commander, Colonel Jade Curtiss; today, it was only Viscount Fabre visiting, but tomorrow it could be anything- an assassin with the courtesy to make an appointment, a blade rex seeking emotional damages from a previous battle, an army of undead cheagles, or (worst of all) Emperor Peony himself, just dropping by for a chat. Once one knew Jade Curtiss well enough, of course, one realized that those stories were just exaggerations, and that the Colonel was in many ways just like everyone else. Luke wasn't entirely sure he'd reached that point yet, but in any case he knew better than to worry about undead cheagles. Much.

"Ah, Luke, so good to see you," Jade greeted him as he entered the office.

"Good to see you, too. I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I know you're busy, and I did just kind of come by unannounced."

"Of course not, Luke. I'm delighted by your timing- you've saved me from an afternoon of dreadfully boring paperwork."

"Glad I could be of service," Luke replied dryly.

Jade just smiled. "Please, take a seat. Can I interest you in a drink?" Seeing the younger man's startled look, he hastened to add, "I only keep it in the office to entertain guests." Inwardly, he cringed; Anise must have said something. He knew that the girl meant well, but he really was going to have to have a talk with her about adults and responsible alcohol use. Luke nodded his acceptance.

"To what do I owe your company today?" he asked as he poured them each a glass.

"The Albiore started acting up after we dropped Mieu off in the Cheagle Woods, so Noelle stopped off here to check it out."

"Yes, the decrease in Seventh Fonons is starting to cause some fontech to malfunction."

"Yeah. Anyway, while I was here I thought I'd stop by."

They chatted pleasantly for a bit, catching up with each other; Jade's duties prevented him from seeing the others more so than they saw each other. He congratulated Luke on his upcoming marriage, and they toasted to Guy and Natalia's future, yet the ever observant Colonel sensed that there was something more to Luke's sudden visit than just casual conversation. It seemed as though something were on his mind that he wanted to talk about, but he wasn't sure how to broach the desired subject.

Eventually, however, they reached a lull in their conversation, and in that pause Luke finally worked up the courage to ask his question: 

"Jade, what do you know about karma?"

"Karma?" Jade frowned, thinking. Of all the things Luke could have asked about, this was one of the most unexpected. "I know that it revolves around the idea that there are just consequences for one's actions, but other than that I'm afraid I'm not terribly familiar with the concept. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, just something someone said to me. I thought you might be able to tell me more about it." He paused, then asked, "What about reincarnation?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. "What about reincarnation?"

"Well, uh, I was just wondering if you thought it was possible." Luke seemed extremely nervous, as though he hadn't wanted to say anything but was dying for an answer.

"I believe I've stated before that I don't personally believe in it. I'm a man of science, and there's no scientific basis for such belief." He sighed. "However, as a man of science I am also open to anything if new evidence arises in support of it." He leaned forward slightly, with a smile that might have been reassuring on anyone else's face but was positively frightening on his. "Why, Luke, do you have evidence of someone being reincarnated?"

"No!" Luke said, much too quickly. 'Someone was just telling me about reincarnation and karma the other day, and I wanted to know more. That's all." He now wished that he hadn't said anything. He'd come to Jade because he wanted to learn more about Asch's situation, and Jade knew everything; but as much as he trusted Jade he still meant to honor his promise to Asch that he'd reveal his identity to no one, even if the setter had left for good. Besides, there wasn't any way he could think of telling his story to Jade that didn't sound absolutely, certifiably crazy. Jade was unnervingly perceptive, though; Luke should have known going into this conversation that he might well somehow figure it all out on his own. Unnerved by the Colonel's gaze, he continued, "I heard that karma affects if and how you get reincarnated. It just sounded interesting."

"Indeed, it does," Jade said, leaning back again. Whatever Luke wasn't telling him, he'd let it go for the moment. "However, it seems to me that you'd have a better chance of learning more by visiting Daath. Theology is not my field of expertise."

"Yeah, probably. I just figured that I'd ask while I was here. Sorry." He rose from his chair. "Anyway, I'd better go check with Noelle, see what's up with the Albiore."

Jade also rose to see his guest out. "I'll see you again in a few days at the banquet, then."

Luke made a face. "Maybe. If Astor decides to ground the fleet like Noelle said he might if the problem's severe enough, I might not make it. I still have to go help with negotiating mining rights for that new vein, and traveling without the Albiore is going to really slow things down." He smiled. "Natalia and Guy know I don't really like formal events like banquets, anyway, so I'm sure they'll understand. Say hi for me, okay?"

"Of course. Oh, and Luke, may I ask you something? I've been wondering about it for some time."

Luke turned as he as about to exit. "Yes?"

"After fusing with Asch in the big bang, did you retain any of his memories?"

Luke frowned. "Memories?"

"Yes. When a replica is absorbed by its original- or, in your case, vice versa- the memories of the one who disappears remain."

"I don't have anyone's memories but my own."

"Interesting."

"But what does it mean?"

Jade smiled in his trademark cryptic fashion. "I'm not sure. Perhaps his memories went elsewhere- the concept of reincarnation may have more merit than I'd otherwise be inclined to give it. Good day, Luke."

"Goodbye, Jade," Luke said dazedly, thoroughly confused and unsettled at how close the Colonel had come to the truth despite having so little to go on. He gave the secretary a sympathetic nod as his walked out- Colonel Jade Curtiss truly was an amazing, frightening man.

Asch ran almost the entire way back to Baticul, stopping just long enough to drink from a muddy puddle here or there along the side of the road. By the time he made it back to the castle a day later, he was footsore and exhausted almost to the point of collapse. Natalia, whose worry over his disappearance was just starting to give way to fear, met him with a combination of relief and anger. Unable to identify the horrible reek that clung to his fur, she practically flung him into a warm bath just as soon as he'd had a chance to eat. She scrubbed his fur thoroughly, all the while admonishing him for making her worry so much, letting the warm water soothe his muscles and his aching, torn paw pads. Asch, however, was too preoccupied to derive any enjoyment from such treatment. Though his mind was fuzzy- he hoped that was only a result of being so tired- he knew that he had to find some way to stop the attempt on Natalia's life. Even if it meant revealing his identity to her.

Unfortunately, the two ways of most easily doing so were no longer available. The Sorcerer's Ring was with Mieu somewhere in the Cheagle Forest, and Luke was somewhere in Malkuth, still unreachable via their failing link. Asch knew that if the assassination attempt occurred at the banquet, which it almost certainly would- it was a highly visible event, which was just how nobility liked to do things, even when they were doing things secretly, and it would ensure that Guy was present to take the blame- then all he would have to do is wait for Luke to return so he could tell him what was going on and let him deal with it. However, he was loathe to just sit around and wait- while he no longer distrusted Luke any more than he distrusted anyone else, long, hard years of self-reliance had taught him to always take the initiative. With less than a week to act, he set into motion two plans: thwart the plan himself or warn Natalia of the danger she was in.

To stop it himself, he needed more information. Without even a proper name for the regicidal nobleman- he'd taken to thinking of him as "Lord Lavender"- he had no way of knowing where he lived, when he might be visiting the castle, or if like many nobles he'd sent any of his staff to the castle to aid in the feast's preparations. Most likely, this was how the poison would be introduced to Natalia's plate- one of Lavender's servants would deliver it to the kitchen and wittingly or unwittingly add it to her food.

However, no dog, not even a princess's dog, can just waltz into a kitchen without raising suspicions. Asch sneaked in once just long enough for his nose to be overwhelmed by the smell of so much food, before one of the cooks noticed him and showed him the door- not wishing to make a scene just yet, Asch had complied. The second time he tried, he was herded out with a broom. The third time, he was through with being civil, but so were the cooks- he was rapped on the head with the broom and ejected from the kitchens before he could so much as growl. This time, the door was locked behind him; there'd be no snooping in the kitchens now.

His second plan wasn't going much better. Not long ago, he'd been desperate to keep his true nature secret from her at all costs- now, he'd have given anything to reveal it. He tried the most straightforward approach- writing her a message- but this had a disastrously messy result. The only potential writing implement he could think of that was usable in his current state was Natalia's make-up, stored in the desk which was just below a vanity mirror on the wall. Grabbing something that looked like it would write well enough- and ignoring the nasty, bitter taste it left in his mouth- he carefully tried to spell out a message. It was then that he realized the full consequences of his deteriorating condition- he'd forgotten how to write. He knew what he wanted to say, he knew that he'd known how to spell it out not so long ago, but try as he might the letters wouldn't come. The more frustrated he became, the more desperate his attempts were; he even rooted through drawers trying other cosmetics, hoping that he might write more easily with something else, until Natalia walked in to see Asch, the mirror, the desk and some of the surrounding floor covered in lipstick and powder. That got her attention, but not in the way Asch had intended- all he got for his efforts was a reprimand, a bath, and among the meaningless scribbles on the mirror a single, crude character that may have passed for an "A", but went completely unrecognized by a princess trying to figure out why her dog had suddenly developed a taste for cosmetic products.

He tried to think of other ways of communicating with her, but he wasn't sure what he could do that she wouldn't interpret as just the antics of a quirky circus dog. He thought of bringing her some object that had once belonged to his human self, but nothing of the sort was available- Asch the Bloody had done too good a job of erasing his past here, and Asch the Setter wished that he had accepted Luke's offer of the cloak, however slim the chances of Natalia understanding its significance might be. He continued trying to make contact with Luke, but without any more success- he succeeded only in giving himself a migraine. The days before the banquet slipped by.

From Natalia's perspective, Asch's strange behavior seemed to be further proving Alpine correct- he was desperate for her attention, still afraid of being replaced. The running away part she could understand, as she had heard of animals doing that before, but his behavior was becoming more and more weird. There was the incident with the make-up, then there was the next day when he had fallen to the ground, moaning as though ill or in pain; yet when the court physician had examined him, he could find nothing wrong (he had given Asch a couple of injections, though- the doctor now had a bandaged hand to show for it.) He had taken to following her virtually everywhere- around the castle, to the dining hall, even to council meetings, where he'd sit quietly but alertly at her feet beneath the table. He now disdained his bed in the closet to sleep at the foot of hers, ears pricked to even the most inoffensive of sounds. She had wanted to take him to the banquet, as he was her best friend and she didn't see why he should be excluded just because of his species, but his clingy, protective behavior was causing her to have second thoughts.

It was the night before the banquet, and Asch had failed at achieving either of his goals. He lay on Natalia's bed, wide awake while she slept peacefully. The most prudent thing to do now was to wait for Luke, who was supposed to arrive tomorrow just before the banquet. Luke would put a stop to this, while Asch would mete out his own justice to Lord Lavender.

He smiled to himself at the thought, and the moonlight shining through the window reflected off of his teeth. They hadn't called him Asch the Bloody for nothing!


	16. High Class Mayhem

"You look absolutely radiant, Your Highness," one of the ladies-in-waiting commented as she made an adjustment to Natalia's evening gown. She wasn't just gushing; the dress, pale blue with gossamer trim, was quite beautiful in its own right, but on Natalia it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a shame that, like many of her other formal dresses, she'd only be able to wear it this once- upper class protocol called for a completely new gown made especially for each new occasion. She was consoled by the fact that her seamstresses had promised an even more beautiful dress for her wedding.

She looked into the mirror- long since cleaned of lipstick and blush- and frowned at her reflection. She'd had her hair crimped and highlighted that morning, and she rather liked the results, but it still seemed to be missing something. "Asch, could you hand me those ribbons, please?" she asked.

Asch, who'd been watching with a sort of guilty fascination for the past few minutes, snapped back to reality, looked around and saw a box of white ribbons to his left. He delicately picked it up with his teeth and delivered it to Natalia.

"Thank you," she said, as one of her assistants stepped forward to help her arrange them in her hair. Though he would have liked to continue to watch, he had more important things to do today, like preventing a murder. He'd actually been downstairs almost all morning trying to get into the kitchen, but to no avail; security had been stepped up to ensure that only authorized personnel had access to the food (Asch knew that these measures actually being effective was too much to hope for.) As much as he wanted to storm into the kitchens by force (and almost had a few times,) the truth of the matter was that he had no idea what he'd do once he got there- there was no way to identify the poison, the poisoner, or Natalia's food, and killing the entire serving staff just to be safe was hardly an option. With no guests having arrived save Duke Fabre and a few other local nobles, and tired of getting tripped over by staff busy with final preparations, Asch had gone back upstairs to check on Natalia's progress. Now it was back to work, although he knew that the only thing he could really do at this point was wait for Luke- as much as he hated to admit it, he would need help on this one. That idiot sure was taking his time, though.

He called out to Luke, as he'd done several times today, but once again received no response. Their connection must have become extremely weak**-**he had to be close by now. He was about to excuse himself when Natalia addressed the woman helping her with her hair.

"How is Tear coming along?"

"The dress you chose suits her very well, Your Highness. Count Fabre will be very pleased when he sees."

"Oh, didn't you hear? Lu- Viscount Fabre won't be able to attend."

_What?_ Asch froze, not quite believing what he'd just heard. Luke wasn't coming? Then that meant...

He wheeled around to face Natalia, his eyes wide with horror. The final ribbon had been tied into place, and she was thanking her assistants and heading toward the door. His mind racing, Asch jumped between her and the exit.

"Excuse me, Asch," she said politely. Instead of moving, he barked. "What's wrong?" she asked, bending down to look him in the eyes. "Do you not like having those people in the castle?" Asch planted his feet and whined, trying to convey his meaning through his eyes.

_Please understand me, Natalia. You can't go down there!_

She patted his head reassuringly. "If you're uncomfortable, you can wait up here until it's over. However, I must go now. I can hardly miss my own party!" And with that she gently but firmly gripped him by the collar and swept him out of the way. With scarcely a moment's thought, Asch turned, grabbed a fold of her dress in his teeth, and started pulling her back. There was a loud _rip_, and he was launched backward several steps before catching himself, a shred of torn fabric hanging from his jaws. Natalia turned and they both stared at one another in shock.

"Asch... what is wrong with you?" she asked, anger building in her voice. "How could you?" But already the ladies-in-waiting were at her side, examining the tear and reassuring her that they could quickly mend it so that no one would notice. They were ushering her out the door to the seamstress's chambers when she turned to give Asch one last accusatory glare. "Bad dog. I... I don't want to see you for the rest of the day!" And with that the door was slammed in his face.

Spitting out the ragged cloth, Asch waited until the sounds of Natalia and the ladies had faded down the hall before disengaging the lock and slipping out the door. What a fine mess this had all turned out to be! Now he didn't have a choice; he had to make _somebody _understand him, or break into the kitchen, make a scene and disrupt everything... or, if he had to, he'd jump up on the table and eat Natalia's poisoned meal himself and hope that once he dropped dead someone would figure it all out. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, as he really didn't want to die again, but he was quickly running out of options.

The main room was starting to fill with guests as he arrived downstairs- he recognized Count Almandine and General Cecille, among a few others, and more were filtering in, although there was no sign of Lord Lavender. Hearing a familiar voice, he started for the door, just in time to greet Colonel Curtiss, who was in the company of Anise and a boy who looked like the old Fon Master but everyone was calling Florian. Asch brightened a little bit; Jade might be uniquely aggravating, but he was indisputably one of the smartest people in all of Auldrant. He brushed up against the Colonel to get his attention, wagging his tail slightly and looking up expectantly. Jade gave him a brief, disinterested glance, until Anise introduced him as "Natalia's dog, Asch," at which he turned back to him with a steady, almost thoughtful gaze. Before Asch could do anything, however, Anise was tugging him off in another direction, anxious to show him something else. Cursing to himself, Asch tried to follow, quickly becoming lost in the growing crowd. People tripped over him, some with a glare, some with a smile; a few hands offered him food and even a little wine, but he did his best to ignore all of it. It wasn't as easy as he would have expected, even given what was at stake, for his nose felt completely overwhelmed by the smells of all the food and people around him. He lamented that Lavender could well hide unnoticed among these scents.

Duke Fabre was one of the people who stepped on him as he weaved his way through the sea of legs. Asch looked up at him hopefully, but the duke just smiled absently and patted him on the head before moving on. Although that single act was probably more affection than Asch could ever remember his father showing him, all he could think of at that moment was how incredibly dense humans were. He didn't even bother reminding himself that he'd once been a dense human, too.

He found Jade leaning against the wall, with Anise and Florian hanging off of each arm, unfolding a long sheet of paper that looked like a list. "Now, let's see what His Imperial Majesty wishes to- Oh, now really, he can't be serious..."

Anise, glanced at the list and looked around. "I don't think they're even serving tapioca- hey, look, it's Tear!"

Sure enough, there was Tear, and Anise was hardly the only one to notice. Her dress was slim and showed off her form, made of a material that appeared a soft gray but shown iridescently when light struck it just the right way. Natalia had apparently decided that Tear's hair would look best down, and instead something had been brushed into it to make it sparkle slightly. Natalia's lady-in-waiting wasn't kidding when she said that Luke would have been pleased; even Asch had to admit that she looked quite lovely, and he didn't even like Tear that much. She'd have looked much lovelier if she hadn't also appeared mortified by all the attention she was getting.

Anise immediately detached herself from the Colonel's arm and ran up to her. "Wow, Tear, you look so gorgeous!" she exclaimed, while Jade studied her bemusedly for a moment before writing something down on the Emperor's list.

A shout caught everyone's attention; the Princess Natalia and Count Gardios were making their entrance. The room fell silent and a path cleared for them as they made their way through the room, exchanging greetings with all the guests one by one. Asch quickly melted into the crowd, remembering that Natalia didn't want to see him at that moment. People murmured to each other as the two of them approached, hand in hand; he heard Anise sigh. "Always a bridesmaid..."

Suddenly, something caught his attention that made him forget all else. Just as the couple passed by his position, someone familiar stepped forward from the crowd- Lord Lavender! As he bent to kiss Natalia's hand, Asch lost all control- before he could think about what he was doing, he launched himself from the crowd and hit the traitorous nobleman with such force that they were both knocked backward. There were shouts and screams as the surprised Lavender tried to fight off his attacker, and Asch snapped savagely, trying to get at his face. He was oblivious to all else around him, and so never felt Natalia's hand around his collar, trying to yank him off, or heard the cries for help; he never sensed another man approaching until something hard and heavy came down upon his head and everything went dark. The last thing he heard was Natalia's scream.


	17. The Princess' Best Friend

Asch came to with his head on fire and straw up his nose. Too weary to lift his head, he opened an eye but saw only a blurry mess of dull colors that refused to focus into anything coherent. His nose was more informative- in addition to the straw, he smelled cold iron, stone, decay- and blood. He was just barely conscious enough for his memory to identify most of these smells as that of a dungeon. A dungeon? What was he doing in a dungeon? His memory started to return, slowly at first but with increasing swiftness, though for a few disoriented moments it all ran together; he couldn't remember if he were human or canine, or if he'd ever really been either. The one thing he did know for certain, however, was that Natalia was in mortal danger, and he was the only one who could save her. If he hadn't stupidly attacked Lavender so recklessly, he wouldn't be in this situation. For all he knew, he could already be too late... No! He couldn't think like that now!

He stood up, trying to ignore the intense wave of pain and nausea that threatened to make him pass out again. His entire body ached, and he couldn't see out of his left eye, though whether it was injured or just encrusted with blood he couldn't tell. Apparently, whoever had thrown his unconscious body into the dungeon hadn't been too gentle, though that was to be expected- he had assaulted a nobleman, after all. It was a wonder he was even still alive, but that could wait until later. His other eye had regained sufficient focus for him to look around- he was in one of the cells, tied to the bars of the door by a length of rope. There were no other prisoners in the dungeon at the moment, so no guards had been posted. Good.

He examined the knot, but even if he'd had opposable thumbs he was either still too woozy from his head wound or had become too much like a dog to figure it out. Instead, he inspected the rope itself, looking for weak points. Selecting a spot that looked more worn than the rest, he grabbed it in his teeth and began to chew. The rope was rough, and abraded his mouth; it wasn't long before he started to taste blood, and every movement of his jaws became agonizing. But it was working- the rope began to fray, as little by little his teeth sawed through the fibers. He was almost done when a familiar voice entered his head.

_Asch! What's going on?_

_Luke? _At first,Asch though he must be hallucinating, but then the thought-voice came to him again.

_I just heard what happened. I'm coming down to the dungeon right now!_ This message was immediately followed by the pounding of feet down the steps to the dungeon, and soon a breathless Luke, still in his traveling clothes, appeared before the door to Asch's cell.

_You're here, _Asch said dazedly, still not sure he could trust his senses. _But they said you weren't coming. _

"Yeah, well, I managed to catch a ride in at the last minute," he said, switching to spoken word. "But that's not important. What's going on? Did you really attack a nobleman? They were going to kill you on the spot if Guy hadn't convinced them to deal with you later, for Natalia's sake- she's really upset right now. They're saying you've gone mad."

_Natalia's in danger! _Asch warned, and he quickly explained the situation not so much with words as with images and emotions sent from his own memory. It was a rather unconventional way of communicating, even given their unique psychic link, but it got the point across. Luke grabbed the door and gave it a good yank; fortunately, no one had bothered locking it. Asch leaped out of the cell and together they dashed for the stairs.

"They were just sitting down to eat when I got in," Luke explained as they made their way up the steps. "The uniceros horn is still being passed around- you're sure that won't catch it?"

_Positive, _Asch grimly affirmed. The uniceros horn, a family heirloom passed down from times when killing things for their beauty was considered noble, was supposed to sweat in the presence of poison. However, like so many other things learned in his exile Asch knew the truth- a uniceros horn only actually worked when still attached to the uniceros. What little of the nobility knew this encouraged the myth to discourage any attempts; unfortunately, it seemed that Lavender also knew the horn was a fraud and wasn't afraid of it.

The horn had just finished making its rounds along the table when the duo burst through the main doors.

"Natalia, don't!" Luke bellowed. The princess had picked up her fork, but like everyone else she froze where she was at this sudden interruption. The dining room, previously abuzz with conversation, instantly became dead quiet, save only for the panting of the two new arrivals. All eyes fixed upon them with bewildered and startled expressions. Indeed, they were quite an alarming sight- Luke, who hadn't even had a chance to clean up from his journey; his hair was unkempt and his clothes still covered in dust; and then there was Asch, with one bloodied eye and pink foam dripping from his injured mouth. They both looked completely mad.

"Poison!" Luke blurted, just as Ingobert was about to ask him what this was all about. "The food, it's poisoned!" The room was suddenly filled with voices as everyone began talking in an eruption of indiscernible babble. Somehow, however, Natalia made herself heard clearly over it, and the din abruptly subsided as she spoke.

"Poison? Luke, what are you talking about?"

"Exactly what I said!" Luke shouted, regaining a little composure. "Someone here is trying to kill you." There were gasps and more talking, but Natalia cut it off once more with her calm but insistent tone.

"Who's trying to kill me?"

_Asch, where is he? _Luke silently messaged his companion.

_Over there, _Asch indicated a table to their left with a quick mental image.

"That man!" Luke shouted dramatically as he pointed out a portly gentleman, who gasped with disbelief.

_Not him, the one next to him!_

"Uh, I mean, that man!" Luke adjusted the direction of his figure to point squarely at Lord Lavender.The dining room exploded with sound once more.

"Lord Murshel?" Natalia asked, also shouting now, unable to quiet the ensuing uproar any longer.

"Preposterous!" Murshel shouted angrily. Asch had to commend him for putting on such a superb act, for he was acting every bit as surprised and indignant as one would expect someone falsely accused to be; he could just barely, and perhaps only because of his canine senses, detect the underlying terror and confusion the nobleman felt at having been called out. Asch's ruined face managed the barest smirk- they had him now.

"Enough!" Ingobert commanded, and the room was instantly silent once more. He turned his gaze to Luke. "This is a very serious accusation, Luke. Do you have any proof?"

"I- uh, well... you see..." Luke faltered; he hadn't actually thought about what he was going to say once he was inevitably asked this. _Asch, help me out!_

_I'm trying! _Asch snapped back, but he couldn't think of a plausible explanation, either. In the wake of his hesitance, the other guests began to speak softly to another, although this time parts of what they said could be heard clearly:

"He's cracked, the poor man."

"The strain has finally broken him."

"He's with the dog, that mad dog from before!"

"They're both mad, him and the dog!"

Murshel, sensing that the room's opinion was shifting in his favor, seized the opportunity. "Lord- Fabre, is it? Would you please care to explain why anyone would try to poison the royal family when it's common knowledge that the uniceros horn can detect any such attempt? Especially given that the princess herself is a Seventh Fonist?" There were several murmurs of assent from the crowd.

"I..." Luke found himself speechless against the sea of increasingly hostile and pitying faces that stared back at him- Murshel was the one smirking at them, now. He looked to Natalia and Guy at the main table, but they could only look back at him helplessly; there was nothing they could do. At a nod from the king, Duke Fabre rose and approached his son.

"Luke, he said softly. "You look very tired. Come, I'll take you back to the manor."

"Wha- no! Father, you have to believe me. I'm not crazy! _I'm not crazy!_"

"Luke," he said, more firmly this time. "Please come back with me." He grabbed his son by the arm and attempted to lead him away.

"Let go of me!" Luke shouted as he jerked out of the duke's grasp. He tried to bolt from his reach, but there was nowhere to go- guards were starting to surround them. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, just as the guards did the same, though all were loathe to draw their blades upon one another; still, the soldiers steadily closed in on them, as Asch bared his teeth and prepared to strike.

"Ahem."

For some reason, that one sound pierced through the growing tension, and all eyes turned to its source. Jade Curtiss had stood up from his seat.

"I believe that this can be resolved rather easily, and without undue violence." He walked to where Natalia was seated and bowed respectfully. "If I may?" he asked, indicating her plate. When she nodded her assent, he carefully picked it up, examined it, then, all eyes transfixed on him, walked with it until he was standing before Lord Murshel.

"Lord- Murshel, was it? Would you care to try some of this?"

"I- what?" the nobleman was taken aback by such a request.

"It looks delicious doesn't it? Come now, it's not every day one has an opportunity to eat from the plate of the princess of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. Try a bite."

"Is this some sort of joke? I'll do no such thing!"

"But why not? It would clear you of all suspicion, and as you said yourself, any poison should have been detected by the horn." He speared a slice of meat on the fork, making sure to also scoop up a little of everything else on the plate. He thrust it toward Murshel's face. "Now, eat up!"

"No!" Murshel screamed, jumping back out of his chair. People began talking again, although this time the reaction was more mixed, as some started expressing doubt regarding Murshel's innocence. He turned to Ingobert. "Your Majesty, I beseech you to end this nonsense immediately!"

"Order him to eat the food!" someone shouted. Murshel turned a few shades paler and turned to the king in disbelief.

"No," said Ingobert, "I will not order you to eat the food. However, if you will not do so willingly I will have to detain you until this is straightened out. Commander Goldberg will escort you to guest quarters where you will remain until the food has been tested. It is you choice, Lord Murshel- what is you decision?"

"I...I..." Murshel stammered, but was at a loss for words. Goldberg stood and beckoned for a few of his men to go take the noble into custody. Natalia also rose, and Guy followed; they strode across the room until, after motioning for Jade to step aside, Natalia was facing Murshel. His existence all but forgotten in the past few minutes, Asch sauntered over to stand at her side, unable to suppress his satisfaction at the lord's distress.

_You're going to have a hard time talking your way out of this one when those test results come back, _he mocked. He felt the princess's fingers brush his neck as she also addressed Murshel.

"If you know something we don't, I strongly suggest you share it now," she said coolly. Murshel stared back at her with a growing fury.

"Miserable wench," he spat.

It wasn't until some time later that all of what happened next could be pieced together because it all happened so fast. Murshel grabbed a dagger from his tunic and lunged forward; Natalia leaped back in surprise, but she was too slow; Luke, Jade and Guy all cried out and sprang to her defense, weapons drawn, but like everyone else they were too far away- almost everyone, that is. A blur of red interposed itself between Murshel and Natalia, and suddenly everything seemed to freeze in place. There was Natalia, looking horrified but unharmed, and Murshel, his eyes fixed with a look of permanent surprise- Guy's sword had run him clear through. But nobody paid much attention to that at first- they followed the princess' gaze to Asch, who was balanced on his hind legs against the dying lord. His teeth were about Murshel's throat; Murshel's dagger was embedded to the hilt in his side. Guy withdrew his blade, and Murshel slid to the ground, but Natalia gently caught the stricken setter and lowered him to her lap. Time abruptly resumed as women screamed and people rushed forward to help, Luke at the front of them. He saw Natalia bent over Asch, tears in her eyes as she tried to apply her healing artes to him. Teon was kneeling by her side and screaming for a doctor.

_Asch, can you hear me? Don't die, please! _Luke pleaded to him.

_Don't... worry, _his thought-voice came to him, and it already sounded weak an indistinct. _It's not like... I haven't done this before._

And then he went silent.


	18. Epilogue: Full Circle

The night sky was cloudless and beautiful as Luke arrived arrived at the gravestones, his hands full of the selenia blossoms he and Tear had recently gathered. As was his custom, he carefully laid a fresh batch upon Suzanne's grave, but then, after a moment's consideration, he arranged a few around the one next to it, which had no flowers.

"You're wasting your time," someone said behind him.

Luke turned to greet his unexpected guest. "Yeah, well, it just looks strange when there's nothing on it. You are officially dead, you know."

"I only died once," Asch said as he limped forward, the Sorcerer's Ring gleaming around his neck; Mieu had come back to visit and lent it to him for the night.

Luke just smiled."With how many lives you go through, you should have been a cat, not a dog." Asch just snorted in response, shifting his weight from his left hind leg. He hadn't actually died from his wound, of course, but the blade had entered in such a way that some of his hip muscles had been damaged and scarred; consequently, he was now walking with a pronounced limp. Aware of his companion's discomfort, Luke stepped back from the graves until he found a good place to sit down on the grass, allowing Asch to sit next to him without compromising the setter's pride.

"What'd you think of the wedding?" he asked as Asch settled down next to him.

"It was all right, I guess," Asch replied. "It's not like I've been to any other weddings between two major world powers that I could compare it to. At least they take security more seriously now."

Luke laughed. "After the banquet incident, I don't think anyone would dare try anything as long as you're around. They're still talking about it."

"Still?"

"Yeah, and the rumors are just getting more and more out there. There's this crazy story going around that you're really the spirit of her first love, Asch the Bloody, come back to protect her in her hour of need."

"What a bunch of sentimental nonsense. You don't believe any of it, do you?"

Luke feigned affrontedness. "Me? Of course not."

Asch went silent for a moment. "Jade knows, though. I don't know how he does, but I can tell by the way he looks at me."

"I didn't tell him, honestly," Luke said quickly.

"I know," Asch assured him.

Luke thought for a moment, then said carefully, "The question is, does Natalia believe all of these stories?"

Asch didn't say anything for a long while. "There are some things," he said at last, "that don't need to be said with words. That's the understanding between her and me, and that's all we need."

Luke just shrugged and decided to change the subject. "Oh, did you hear? They caught up to that apothecary in Chesedonia. He took some of his own poison before they could bring him in, though, ranting about some vengeful dog spirit that tried to kill him once already for helping with the murder plot, and would come for him again now that it had gotten Murshel." He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you've told me everything you were up to while I was gone that time." Asch didn't respond, and instead just stared at the gravestones. He could read them again; ever since being treated with Seventh Fonons during the healing process, his old human abilities had returned.

Feeling that his friend wasn't in the mood for further conversation Luke decided to call it a night. He stood, and Asch followed.

"By the way," he said, "After Tear and I are wed, Father's giving us Choral Castle- we're going to clear out all the monsters and fix the place up- it just seems fitting because that's where it all began- at least for me, it did. I just wanted you to know you're welcome to visit any time."

"Thanks," Asch said, "but it'll probably only be when Natalia and Guy come to visit- I've got duties to fulfill, after all."

"You could always hand them off to your little sister every now and then," Luke said slyly.

Asch muttered something about rappiglets as they made their way toward the manor. "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

"Of course I do," Luke laughed, "I'm just messing with you." They walked in silence to the front gate, where they said good night to each other and parted ways. Luke turned back to the manor, and Asch headed back to the castle. Asch stopped for a moment and looked around himself reflectively- at the family manor, at the castle where Natalia waited, at slumbering Baticul below him. He did have duties to fulfill here, but they were things only he could do, not just any man or dog or even a rappiglet hand-picked by the emperor. He_belonged_here.

Finally, he'd come home.

* * *

_Well, this story is finally completed! I hope you enjoyed it- thank you to everyone who read it and to all the people who reviewed it. Have a wonderful new year! _


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